I Wonder
by Anncatz
Summary: While struggling with the amnesia, Ken Ichijouji fights to regain his lost memories. During his quest for recollection, other mysterious forces begin to grasp his mind as well... Hints of Kenyako and Takari. ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was summer.

Ken Ichijouji sighed as he leaned back in his computer chair. On the desk in front of him, beside his computer, was a picture, framed, of course, because he treasured it. He picked up the picture, his lips curling into a smile.

His friends. They'd taken him in when no one else would accept him. The picture had been taken nearly a year ago, while the six of them spent the day together, celebrating the one year mark of their defeat of MaloMyotismon.

Davis Motomiya was in the middle, grinning confidently. Kari Kamiya was on his left, winking and smiling cheerfully. TK Takaishi was beside Kari, with one arm around her and the other held up giving a peace sign. And to Davis's right, there he was, Ken Ichijouji. He wore a small smile. Yolei Inoue, beaming with outstanding cheer, was clinging onto his arm, and beside her was little Cody Hida.

The picture brought back sweet memories. Ken couldn't help but be thankful for such good friends. It had been a while since the six of them had the chance to get together. He lived in Tamachi, away from the others, which posed a problem. And that along with everyone's busy schedules… It was no wonder there just wasn't any time for get-togethers like that. He missed them, in a way.

A little chime came from his computer. Surprised, Ken sat up in his chair. He placed the picture back where it was and grabbed the mouse… An e-mail. Grinning, Ken opened it:

'Ken,

Okay, so this is a little short notice, but… Davis, Kari, T.K., Cody, and I are going to the park for a picnic at noon. Hope you don't have anything to do, cause we'd all like you to be there! Remember- Odaiba Park at noon!

Yolei Inoue'

He glanced over at a nearby digital clock: 11:30. _'Short notice is right!'_ Ken thought to himself as he hopped up. _'If I wanna get to the park, I've got to get going!'_

* * *

"Ken!" Yolei Inoue exclaimed happily. She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the others. "Look everybody! Ken's here!" 

"Hello," Cody greeted, in his usual, serious tone.

"Hey, Ken!" TK called.

"Long time no see, buddy!" Davis said cheerfully, giving Ken a gentle punch in the shoulder.

"Glad you could make it," Kari told him happily.

Ken simply smiled.

"C'mon, Ken! Sit down!" Yolei ordered him. "I got some stuff from Dad's convenience store, see? And the others pitched in too!" She sat down next to Kari, then gestured for Ken to sit beside her.

Ken nodded, seating himself beside the girl.

"Thank goodness you're _finally _here!" Davis exclaimed. "I'm starving! Yolei said we couldn't start eating without you, and it feels like we've been waiting forever!" He started picking out all kinds of foods from the huge spread, then suddenly halted. He looked over at Yolei, raising an eyebrow. "I can eat now, right?"

"Of course!"

"Alright!" With that, Davis began gobbling food.

The others watched him for a while. It was amusing to see silly Davis stuffing his face. When he finally caught them watching him, Davis looked at each of them, then asked, with his mouth full, "What?"

Everyone started laughing, except for Davis, who remained clueless.

Later…

Ken, Yolei, Cody, and Davis sat under the shade of a tree. Davis had his eyes closed, nearly asleep, Cody was leaned against the tree, staring up at the sky, and Ken and Yolei sat side by side, silent. T.K. and Kari stood in front of the four of them. "Hey guys," Kari said, "we're gonna go for a walk, ok?"

Davis's eyes suddenly shot open. "I'll come too!"

TK shook his head. "Davis," he said, "we were… um… kinda planning on going by ourselves. No offense or anything. We just wanna be…"

"Alone," Davis finished for him. Disgusted and disappointed, he sighed. "Well, have fun," he forced himself to say.

"Thanks for understanding, Davis," Kari told him sweetly. With that, she and TK went on their way, walking together and chatting happily.

Yolei leaned closer to Ken. "That'll happen some day," she whispered.

Ken looked over at her. "What?" he questioned.

"TK and Kari," she explained. "I mean, just look at them. Don't you think so too?"

Ken watched as TK and Kari continued to go further away. He nodded in agreement. "Most likely."

"Most likely?" Davis asked. "You mean absolutely! T.K. and Kari practically love each other!" Davis let out another heavy sigh. "It's sad…"

"Davis is right," Yolei said. "And if they don't love each other _now, _they probably will in good time. Yep, that'll happen some day…"

"You and Ken shouldn't be talking," Cody snapped. "People might just be looking at you two and thinking the same thing!"

Davis perked up at this opportunity. "Yeah!" He tapped Yolei on the shoulder saying, "That'll happen someday!"

Yolei threw a cold glare at him, but it only tempted Davis further.

"What was it you kept saying to yourself two years ago?" Davis asked. "Oh yeah, I remember now! Ken and Yolei Ichoujouji! Ken and Yolei Ichijouji!"

"Cut it out!" Yolei hissed.

"Ken and Yolei Ichijouji!"

Her face was extremely red from embarrassment. "Davis, please!"

"Aw, are you blushing, Yolei?" Davis questioned.

"N-No! I… I'm not!"

"Ken and Yolei Ichijouji!"

"'I didn't say I wanted to kiss him, duh, I just wanna marry him,'" Cody quoted. "Sound familiar?"

Yolei groaned, burying her face in her hands.

Davis laughed at this. Then he looked over at Cody. Grinning, he winked and gave a thumb up.

Cody smiled.

Everyone kept quiet for a while. Davis and Cody were waiting for some kind of reaction from Ken, but all he did was simply lean back against the tree and shut his eyes. Yolei still kept her face buried in her hands, too embarrassed to say or do anything. Finally, though, she raised her head, looking to Ken. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Ken yawned and stretched, then opened his eyes. "You shouldn't be."

"But Davis and Cody… they…"

"They're immature."

Yolei couldn't believe it. "You don't care about what they said?"

Ken didn't answer.

"I mean, were you really even paying attention? They… They were saying that I wanted to-"

"Don't pay any attention to them."

Yolei smiled. Then, she turned to Davis and Cody and stuck out her tongue.

"Say Davis," Ken called, "can you do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"My family and I are leaving for a trip in a few days. A cruise. It'll last a week. Could you take care of Minomon for me?"

"Wow!" Davis exclaimed excitedly. "You're goin' on a cruise? Sweet! What is it? Like, a luxury cruise? First class? Expensive?"

Ken chuckled. "No," he answered. "Not first class, but it's not exactly cheap. But that's not the point. I need somebody to take care of Minomon for me while I'm away."

"Sure! I'll do it! I'd be more than glad to!"

"Thanks, Davis."

"No problem!"

* * *

The days passed swiftly, and Ken found himself before Davis, ready to leave. "Well," he said with a hint of sorrow, "take good care of him, ok?" Sadly, he handed his Digimon, Minomon, to Davis. 

"No prob," Davis said.

DemiVeemon was at Davis's side. "Yeah!" he yelled. "We're gonna have a great time! Ain't that right, Minomon?"

"I guess," Minomon answered.

"What do you mean, 'I guess'?" DemiVeemon questioned, surprised. "Of course we are!"

"Ken won't be here," Minomon explained.

Ken gave his partner a pat on the head. "Make the best of it, buddy," he told him. "Just cause I won't be here doesn't mean that you can't have any fun. Think about it. You're with DemiVeemon and Davis. _DemiVeemon and Davis_. Those clowns will keep you entertained."

"Clowns?" Davis asked, clueless.

Ken chuckled.

"Well, whatever," Davis went on. "I'll take good care of him. And we're gonna have a blast!"

"Thanks, Davis," Ken said, smiling. "I really can't stay any longer though. I've got to get going. Wouldn't wanna miss the boat, would I?"

"Nope, nope, nope!" Veemon exclaimed.

"Goodbye, everyone," Ken said. He looked to Minomon then, grinning. "I'll see you in a week, and then I'll tell you all about it! I'm sure you'll have a nice time. Bye, Minomon."

* * *

With so many things to do, the cruise kept Ken busy. The days went by swiftly. One, two, three, four… but on the morning of the fifth day, he woke up very early, and made his way up to the deck. There, he stood, hanging over the railing, staring out at the ocean. He took a deep breath, taking in the moist, salty, morning air. As he stared into that deep, blue ocean, he had a sense of longing for his friends, or _anyone _to spend time with. Then it hit him. He realized that, during the past four days, he had spent almost no time with his parents at all. They were busy doing things together; romantic things. He had spent those four days alone, and was too busy to realize it. But now, alone, with all the rush, excitement, and busyness gone, he knew he was alone. 

Sighing, he leaned over the rail further. It was times like these- times of great loneliness- that he wished he had a sibling, or wished that he could bring back the one he lost years ago…

Tiredly, he shut his eyes and yawned. How much sleep had he gotten last night? One hour? Two? He couldn't remember, but knew it hadn't been much. As he stood there, images flashed through his mind… DemiVeemon, Davis, Minomon, TK, Kari, Cody, Yolei…

He yawned again, slowly opening his eyes. The picnic had been nice. _'It's too bad,'_ he thought, _'that I can't spend more time with them.'_ It was true. He didn't get much time with them. Someone was always busy, or away, or sick, or _something._

And then… it happened so fast, he didn't even know what was going on.

The ship collided with something. What? He couldn't have possibly known. There was nothing in sight. But the collision caused him to lose his grip on the rail and flung him forward. Ken had no idea what was happening. It all happened so fast… So fast, it sent his head spinning into an aching, dizzying confusion, and his consciousness slowly slipped away. When he hit the ice cold water, everything went black…

* * *

_There were voices…_

"Ken?"

_Lots of them…_

"Ken?"

"Ken, honey?"

_Voices…_

"Kenneth?"

"Can you hear us, Ken?"

_So many voices…_

"Ken?"

_Voices, voices, blended all together. Talking at once, but all saying the same thing, over and over and over. It was like something tribal and ancient, like a chant. Chanting that name…_

"Ken?"

"Ken, honey?"

"Ken?"

"Kenneth?"

"Ken?"

His eyes fluttered open and the boy sat up. He stared confusedly at the many people who stood before him. No one seemed familiar. Upon his awakening, they all smiled. One woman was so happy, she was crying.

"Oh, my little boy's alive!" she exclaimed. "Kenny, I almost thought all hope was lost. I thought you weren't going to make it. Oh, oh, my little boy…"

He simply stared at her in a state of total confusion. "Who are you people?" he asked then. "And why do you keep saying that name? Ken. Who is this 'Ken' anyway?"

The woman, eyes wide and filled with tears, gaped at the boy.

There was a moment of silence.

He looked around at all of the people. "What?" he questioned. "Why are all of you looking at me like that? Is it so hard to answer some questions for me? Just answer my questions. That's all I ask."

A man- he was tall, with brown hair with bits of grey in it, and was wearing glasses and a white coat- spoke up, "Before your questions can be answered, I need you to answer one for me."

"Sure."

"I'm going to ask you a simple question, very simple…"

"Get to it already," the boy demanded with annoyance.

"I want you to tell me who you are."

He laughed. "What? What kind of a question is that?"

"I told you it was simple, but please take it seriously. I want an answer. Who are you? What's your name?"

The boy continued laughing. "I've never heard such a stupid question! Why, I'm… I'm…" Nervously, he stopped laughing. "You know, I'm…"

The man eyed him curiously.

He looked away. There a window at his side. He stared out it, watching the clouds roll by in a clear blue sky. He was silent.

The woman began to sob uncontrollably. "Honey, don't you know? Don't you know?" she asked desperately.

The boy looked at her, frowning. "No, I… I don't know. I can't remember."

"Do you know _me_ then?" the woman asked him. "Please tell me you remember who I am!" she pleaded.

"I don't know." The boy hung his head and shut his eyes tightly. He thought and thought, searching for even the smallest trace of memory. He thought so hard that his head began to ache. "I don't know!" he yelled. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know! I don't know _anything!"_

The man in the white coat told him, "Your name is Kenneth Ichijouji."

"Me? _I'm _Ken?"

The man nodded.

Ken bit his bottom lip. How was it possible that he couldn't remember anything? How could he have forgotten who he was? Sadly, he looked up at the crying woman.

She said to him, "Kenny, I'm… I'm your mother. Don't you recognize me?"

Ken shook his head, wondering how he could've forgotten the face of his own mother.

There was another man in the room. He stepped forward, saying, "And I'm your father."

His loss of memory ashamed him, and Ken turned his attention back to the window.

"I'm Dr. Tsunikawa," the man in white said. "Do you feel alright, Kenneth?"

Ken glared at him. "I don't remember who I am or anything about myself!" he yelled. "Do you _think _I'm alright!"

"Now, now, calm down," Dr. Tsunikawa told him.

Ken turned back to the window. "How do I even know if you people aren't lying to me, huh? Is my name really Ken? And are you two _really _my parents? How do I know that this isn't all just a scam?"

The woman, supposedly his mother, cried harder. "Ken," she said softly, "I love you. Your father and I would never do that to you."

He looked at her. She was crying uncontrollably. _'Those tears…' _he thought. _'No one could fake that. It's so sincere. And the way she said that she loved me…This can't be a lie.' _He forced himself to smile. "Don't cry…" He paused for a moment, then added, "…Mom."

She looked at him in the most kind and loving way, with a big smile on her face.

Dr. Tsunikawa suddenly interrupted the moment. "Ken," he said, "do you have any idea where you are?"

He looked around. Clueless, he answered, "No."

There were other men and women in the room, all of them in white; Ken assumed them to be nurses. All of the adults started whispering.

"What should we do?" one of the nurses questioned.

Dr. Tsunikawa thought for a moment. Then he answered, "We can't just stop the ship. The best thing to do may just be to let him stay these last two days; spend time with his family. Perhaps by then he'll have recovered his memory."

"But doctor, what if this is some kind of long-term amnesia?" Mr. Ichijouji asked.

"Yes!" Mrs. Ichijouji agreed. "What if my baby _never_ gets his memory back?"

"He'll get his memory back," the doctor assured them. "After all, the boy didn't even suffer a blow to his head. Exactly _how_ long this amnesia will last is uncertain, but it shouldn't be too long. Just treat him as normal as possible."

"Well," Mrs. Ichijouji said, "here we are."

* * *

Those last two days of the cruise had been uneasy; not just for Ken, but for the whole family. His parents wouldn't let him out of their sight, and had a hard time answering the _many _questions that he bombarded them with. He demanded more and more information every minute, yet continuously told them that he didn't trust either of them. He admitted that only his "mother's" tears had won him over and that if she hadn't been crying… 

But the cruise was over now, and the Ichijouji family stood outside the door to their apartment. Ken's father took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. The three of them stepped inside.

Ken was silent. He explored this unfamiliar place; every corner, every room. His parents followed him, pointing out everything: the bathroom, their room, the kitchen… And when the three of them came to a certain room, his parents quieted.

"This is…" Mrs. Ichijouji started softly, but then she stopped suddenly. She looked at her boy, frowning. "…your room."

Ken stepped inside and wandered around his room for a moment. He stopped at a desk and picked up a picture, looked at it a while, then turned to his parents. He showed them the picture, asking, "And this is…?"

Mr. Ichijouji took the picture in his hands. He glanced over at his wife, who broke down crying. "You don't remember?" he asked.

Ken shook his head.

Sadly, his father told him, "This is your brother, Sam."

Ken looked at him in disbelief. "I have a brother? How come you didn't tell me? Where is he?"

"He's gone!" Mrs. Ichijouji blurted out. "Gone, gone, gone! He died years ago! Don't you remember, Ken? Don't you remember anything at all?"

Ken sighed. He sat on his bed and hung his head. _'Such ignorance, such stupidity,' _he thought. _'Why can't I remember anything?'_


	2. Chapter 2

Seems as though I forgot to put a disclaimer on the first few chapters of my story! Well, I think we all know that _I don't own digimon, _so… on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 2 

The next day, things were no better. Everything was still a blur to Ken Ichijouji. He spent hours sitting alone in his room, thinking and thinking, trying desperately to remember something, anything. _Anything _at all.

In fact, he was in the middle of some deep thought when his mother came to him with the phone in her hand.

"Ken, honey," she said to him, "it's for you."

He looked at her, stared menacingly at this unknown woman, trying to let her know that he didn't wish to talk to her- or _anybody _for that matter- at the moment.

Despite her son's icy stare, Mrs. Ichijouji went on, "It's a friend of yours." She walked over his computer where, beside it, sat a picture. She picked it up. "See?" she whispered. "These are your friends."

Ken nodded. Sure, he'd seen that picture. Sure, he'd noticed it…

"It's Davis on the phone. Davis Motamiya. Ring a bell, honey?"

Ken didn't say a word. Hadn't that stupid woman figured out by now that his mind was completely blank? He doubted, often, that she could actually be his mother.

She placed a finger on the boy centered in the picture. "Davis Motamiya," she repeated. "You two are pretty close. He's one of the best friends you've got." She handed the picture to her son.

He held the picture in his hands. Such a delicate object. Perhaps this once meant something to him. Perhaps those people in the photo, his "friends", had meant something. But now? It was meaningless. He looked at the picture and at this "Davis" who had called him. "Him?" he asked. "This person is my friend? Not just him, but all of them? They're all fools. Fools!"

"Ken, how can you say that?" his mother asked him. "Davis has been very good to you, and so have the others. They're good friends and all very nice people."

"I don't know them," Ken answered. "I don't know Davis or any of these people, and you expect me to warm up to them just like that? My memory has failed me, and, obviously, so has yours. I know nothing, can't you see that? Now go. I want to be left alone. And tell 'Davis' that I have no intention of talking with him at the moment, or _ever."_

"Ken," Mrs. Ichijouji muttered sadly. Frowning, she left the room.

Ken, the picture in his hand, said to himself softly and through gritted teeth, "Why can't I remember? Why?" He looked at the picture again. "A collision with the ship," he whispered. "I was up on deck, three… four o'clock in the morning. That's what they told me. But what was I doing up there? Especially so early? I was…" He shut his eyes tightly, trying to remember. "I was… I was… I don't remember. But I was up there when the ship had its collision and I fell overboard. That's what the doctors said. But I don't know. I don't remember anything. Not even who I am…" He sighed, staring at the picture. "And I certainly don't remember these people!" Angrily, he threw down the picture. It crashed down to the floor, the frame shattered.

* * *

In a state of shock and disbelief, Davis Motamiya hung up the phone. 

"So, how was the cruise?" DemiVeemon asked curiously from behind him. "I'll bet it was great!"

"I can't wait to see Ken again!" Minomon exclaimed excitedly

Davis sighed. "Guys, Ken is…" He stopped, biting his lip nervously. Then he continued, "There was an accident. The ship collided with something, nobody knows quite sure what. The ship got out fine, not even a scratch or dent, but the collision knocked Ken overboard, and he… well…"

"He's alive, isn't he?" Minomon asked worriedly. "Is he ok?"

"He's alive," Davis answered, "but he… kinda… Well, he lost his memory."

"Is that possible?" DemiVeemon asked.

"Well, yeah. It's called amnesia, dude. It's pretty serious too. From what his mother told me, it seems like Ken doesn't remember a thing. He doesn't know who I am. He doesn't even know himself!"

"How could you not know yourself?" DemiVeemon wondered, very puzzled.

Sadly, Davis looked to Minomon. "I'm sorry," he said, "but you can't go back. What would Ken think if he saw you? He has no knowledge or you, or DemiVeemon, or any digimon, or the digi-world. If he were to see you in the state he's in…"

"Ken doesn't remember me?" Minomon interrupted.

"Nope. I'm sorry, Minomon."

Minomon was quiet.

"I'm worried too," Davis told him. "I just hope he gets his memory back soon."

* * *

A couple of days passed. 

"So," Ken said, narrowing his eyes, _"this_ is who I am." He stood in front of a mirror, staring at his reflection. He wasn't sure whether he liked what he saw or not. "This is who I am," he repeated. "Kenneth Ichijouji. Ken Ichijouji." By looking at his reflection, he was trying to remember himself. He was searching for memories of who he was.

_'I look at myself, at my reflection,' _he thought, _'and what do I see?' _He studied that person who stood in front of him: A strange, unknown person and an all too familiar at the same time. _'I see… someone who doesn't know anything. Someone who has no clue as to who he is; who anyone is. Someone who has lost their past, lost their heart, lost… That's it. Someone who is lost.' _He let out a heavy sigh. _'Who am I? I'm Ken Ichijouji. But knowing that alone isn't enough.'_

"Ken," his father called from another room, "dinner's ready."

The boy took one last look at himself before going to the kitchen. He sat down at the table, and his mother placed a plate of food in front of him. "Eat up!" she said cheerfully.

His parents sat down and began eating quietly. Dinner that evening was awkward, although that was no different from how other meals had been since the family had returned home. All of the meals were quiet, all of them awkward.

Suddenly, Ken spoke up. "Who am I?" he asked.

His parents looked at him in a strange way.

"You've told me my name," Ken went on. "I'm Ken Ichijouji. But there's got to be more to me than that. I want to get deep down inside and discover who I am. I want to remember."

Mrs. Ichijouji looked to her husband nervously.

"I don't know what to tell you, Ken," Mr. Ichijouji said. "You're a good kid, fourteen years old and going into ninth grade. Um…"

"You know," Ken's mother began, "you might be able to discover something about yourself by spending time with your friends. I know you're not comfortable with it, but I think it would be really good for you. You don't _have_ to do it, but at least consider it for me."

Ken nodded. Then he stood. "I'm not hungry," he said, and started to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" his father asked.

"To the mirror…"

* * *

The phone was ringing. Ken threw an angry glance at it. The stupid object had interrupted his thinking. 

"For you, Ken," his mother told him after she answered it. "It's Davis. Won't you talk to him? Please? I think it would do you some good."

Ken sighed with disgust. "Ok," he said reluctantly. His mother handed him the phone.

"Hello?" came an unfamiliar voice.

"Um…" Ken was quiet for a short moment. "Hi."

"Ken! This is Davis Motamiya. Listen, uh… your mom told me the other night about what happened."

All Ken could say was: "Yeah."

"I'm so sorry for you. Anyhow, I just called to see how you were."

"I'm…" Ken paused. "I'm… well… fine. That is, if you consider not being able to remember a single thing fine."

"Hey, don't be so down about it, Ken!" Davis told him optimistically. "You're gonna come out ok."

"Let's be realistic."

"No, really! I'll even help you if you want me to! We'll tackle this thing together!"

"Well…"

"Let's get together today. I'll refresh that memory of yours! What do you say?"

"I don't know you!" Ken blurted out. "And I don't trust you!"

"Aww… Ken, I only wanna help you. C'mon, don't do this _again."_

"Again?" Ken questioned.

"Yeah," Davis answered. "You're always so hostile when people try to help you. You _never_ let anybody give you a hand."

"Is that right?" Ken asked.

"Well, most of the time."

Ken was silent. _'He really does know something,' _he thought. _'I guess what Mom said about us being close is true. Maybe I can learn from him.'_

"Hello?" Davis called. "You still there?"

"I'm here," Ken said. "What time you want to get together? And where?"

"Awesome!" Davis exclaimed. "I knew you'd come around! Tell you what. I'll make it easy for you. We'll meet at the soccer field in Tamachi, at noon. Bring a soccer ball."

"Soccer…?" Ken asked wonderingly.

"Yep! See ya later!"

"Wait!" Ken pleaded, but Davis had already hung up the phone.

* * *

"Hey there, Ken!" Davis called, waving. 

The clueless teen, a soccer ball under his arm, forced himself to smile. "Hello," he said pleasantly.

"I'm glad you came, buddy! And look, we've got the place to ourselves!"

Ken dropped the soccer ball, and Davis instantly picked it up. He started bouncing it off his head and knees, kicking it around, and saying things like, "Oh yeah, I've still got it!" "Check this out, Ken!" "Am I good or what?"

"Uh… Davis, I came here to _talk_, not-"

"Just a sec!" Davis interrupted. He gave the ball another bounce off of his head, then caught the ball and put it under his arm. "Now, what were you saying?"

"You know," Ken said, "you're pretty good."

"Am I? I mean, of course I am!" Davis laughed, then added, "I hate admitting it, but you're better, Ken."

Ken looked at him, surprised. "Me?" he asked. _"I'm _better?"

"Sure! Why don't you and I play a bit? No better way to bond than a good game of soccer!"

Ken raised an eyebrow in question. "By ourselves?"

"Why not? C'mon, Ken, if you think you're ready!" With that, Davis put down the soccer ball and started running with it. "Come on, slow poke!" he called teasingly.

"Hey!" Ken exclaimed angrily, and ran after Davis.

Later…

Ken, breathing hard, sweaty, and his heart beating fast, sat down on the first row of the bleachers.

Davis sat beside him. "Give me five, rocket!" he exclaimed, reaching out his hand.

Smiling, Ken slapped it. "Good game there, Davis! But really… 'rocket'?"

"Your old nickname," Davis explained. "Ken 'the rocket' Ichijouji. You're the best at soccer, man. I always envied you."

Ken leaned back, shutting his eyes. For a while, the two of them sat there quietly, catching their breath. Eventually, Ken broke the silence, saying, "Thanks."

"For what?" Davis asked.

Ken turned to him, with a sort of wistful look on his face. "It's been five days since the accident," he said. "Ever since then, it's been _so_ hard for me. I've done nothing but question things. I'm always thinking. I'm always searching for a memory, even the smallest thing, but I keep coming up with nothing. It never stops. I wonder things constantly. Who am I? Who's telling the truth? Who's lying to me? I sit alone in my room, thinking, thinking, thinking. It makes my head ache sometimes. Even at night, it keeps me awake. I haven't been able to get away from my thoughts."

"And you're thanking me for…?"

"For letting me escape that." Ken smiled. "For the first time in five days, I didn't care. I didn't think about this situation I'm stuck in. I could _finally _escape my thoughts."

Davis said, "Soccer sure is a good game, huh? It's got the power to free the human mind of thought's grasp!" He laughed, then slapped his buddy on the back. Hard.

Ken threw a glare at him. "Don't be so rough!"

Davis shrugged. "Sorry."

Ken sighed. He looked up at the sky, then around at the soccer field. "You know, I didn't think I could trust you at first."

Davis nodded. "Yeah, you kinda told me that on the phone."

"It's hard for me to tell who's real. I don't remember anything, so I know I've got to be cautious."

"It makes sense."

"But I have to thank you again. You showed me a good time, and I learned a little about myself. Thanks, Davis."

"No problem!" Davis exclaimed, winking.

"Can you tell me something else?"

"Hmm?"

"There's this picture I have… You're in it, and me too, and four others. There's a blonde boy wearing a hat-"

"TK." Davis interrupted. "Yep, it's TK Takaishi. He's a nice guy. Good at basketball too. But he's always stealing my girl away from me!"

"Who's that?" Ken questioned curiously.

"Kari Kamiya."

"Well, in the picture, he has his arm around a girl. Could that be her?"

Davis nodded. "I know what picture you're talking about. I've got a copy of that too. Yeah, that's Kari. She's so awesome!"

Ken chuckled.

Davis, his face turning red, stuttered, "H-Hey, don't l-laugh at me!"

"On to the next one then," Ken said. "There's a boy. He looks a little young."

"Cody Hida. Yeah, he's a few years younger than us. Man, that kid is too serious for his own good! Might be because he lost his father, but he's still a really good kid."

"And then there's this girl. She's hanging onto my arm, and she's got this wonderful smile on her face. She's so bright and cheery, and just beaming with happiness."

"Yolei Inoue."

"The way she was hanging onto me… Is she my girlfriend or something?" Ken asked him.

"Why? Do you want her to be?" He nudged Ken in the side, winking.

"I don't know her."

"Well, Yolei is one spunky girl. She's always optimistic, but she can be hot-headed sometimes. She's outward and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She's a year older than us."

Sadly, Ken told Davis, "None of that is familiar to me. I don't remember any of them."

Davis frowned. "Don't worry about it, Ken," he soothed, "you're gonna make it through this. I'll try to organize something for you. I'll try to get the six of us together so you can meet them. Would you like that?"

Ken stared at the ground, thinking. "I don't know," he muttered.

"They're your friends," Davis insisted. "If you wanna recover from this amnesia, I think it'd be a good thing to do."

"They'll help me?"

"Yeah," Davis answered. "That's what friends do. The six of us… We help each other when ever one's in a bind. Ok, maybe we don't always get along, but we're always there for each other. Friends look out for each other, and I promise you, Ken, we're all gonna help you as much as we can. Now, whaddya say?"

Ken gave a nod. "If you think it will help…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The mirror again.

It meant a lot to him. Seeing himself, meeting his own blue-gray eyes, figuring every inch of him. That reflection before him gave him more things to contemplate.

"I am… Ken Ichijouji," he told himself. "Ken 'the rocket' Ichijouji: Soccer player extraordinaire." He smiled at that. It had a nice ring to it. "I know that much, but I need more. More, more, more…"

Mrs. Ichijouji stuck her head in the room. "Ken, honey, what are you doing?"

He didn't even bother looking at her. "Thinking," he replied simply.

"Your father and I have got some errands to run," she told him. "I wish you'd come with us. I don't like the thought of you being here alone."

"I'm fourteen," Ken insisted. "I think I can handle it."

"Well, yes, you're mature enough, but… um… I just wasn't sure, you know, with your condition…"

Ken looked at her, disappointed with that remark. "Mom, I need time to think."

"Yes," his mother agreed, "but you should also get out a little."

"I got out yesterday, just like you wanted. Davis promised me a meeting with the others too. For now, though, I need to think."

Mrs. Ichijouji sighed. "If you insist," she said reluctantly. "We may be gone an hour or more. Promise me you'll take care, Kenny."

Ken nodded.

"Goodbye…"

In a few minutes, he heard the door slam, and he knew that his parents were gone, yet he went to check just in case. Then he returned to the mirror.

"Enough of this," he muttered. "I need another method." He looked around the room, puzzled. "Hmm… I wonder…" He made his way to his parents' room. He hadn't really explored that room much since he got home. Now was the perfect opportunity. He rummaged through drawers, looked under the bed, and then came to a shelf: Lots of books, and, better yet, home videos. He smirked, grabbing each and every one of them. Then he sat down in front of the television and began to watch them, one by one.

The first few tapes were of him and his brother as little children. It shocked him to learn that his brother had been a genius. Then there was a recording of a news broadcast detailing the death of "boy genius Samuel Ichijouji". The death had been an accident, it said, then went to shots of the funeral. There he was, Ken Ichijouji, an up-close shot, holding a picture of his brother, crying.

Then there came things that completely surprised him, and he began to wonder why his parents hadn't told him those things…

Later, when his parents returned home:

Mr. Ichijouji placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Any luck with your thinking, Ken?" he inquired.

Ken was silent.

His mother came up to Ken and hugged him. "I should've known that you'd be ok."

Still the boy was silent.

"Aren't you going to say something?" his father asked.

Ken narrowed his eyes. "What kind of a _genius _doesn't even know who they are?" he asked angrily.

His parents exchanged nervous glances.

"I found the videos," Ken went on. "Why do you keep so many things from me? The fact that I'm practically famous is something I think I deserve to know!"

"Ken, we-" his father began.

"I've been on the news," Ken interrupted, "on commercials, I've held autograph sessions, I'm quite possibly the best kid soccer player ever; I even hold a record! I can program computers and create my own software and games, I'm a master at any and all games, namely- so the recordings said- 'Donkey Madness'. Why didn't you tell me _any _of that?"

Mrs. Ichijouji hung her head in shame.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Ichijouji said. "I guess… I guess we just didn't think."

"No, you didn't," Ken assured them. "Some parents you are! I actually learned from Davis, but you didn't teach me _anything!"_

Mrs. Ichijouji said sadly, "Ken, please. We're so sorry." She looked to her husband, teary-eyed. "We're not very good parents…"

Mr. Ichijouji nodded.

Ken just glared at them. "Get," he commanded. "I need to be alone."

They left obediently.

Ken went to his room, where he locked the door and immediately flung himself onto his bed, burying his face in his pillow. And it was then that the stress, confusion, and unhappiness that had been building up inside him for six days finally became too strong, and he broke down.

He knew things about himself now, but it wasn't familiar to him, and, in a way, none of it seemed right. He still wondered who he was. He still questioned himself and his life; everyone and everything. Nothing was right. So many things forgotten, left behind, and he wondered if anything would ever return to him. He kept asking himself, _'Why'd this have to happen to ME?'_ No, nothing was right at all. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

He sobbed uncontrollably and tears soaked his pillow as he wept and wept and wept…

* * *

Sadly, Davis Motamiya pushed "Send." It was hard to send the other digidestined an e-mail about Ken's unfortunate happenings. He kept thinking back to the day before, spending time with the clueless Ken. Davis knew he had to help him. Then, he looked over his shoulder, finding DemiVeemon and Minomon asleep. 

There were some things that he could bring back to Ken easily, but the digital world? And digimon? And the fact that Ken was a digidestined? There was just no way…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_There was a boy: navy blue, spiked hair, purple tinted glasses, wearing a blue, black, and white suit, complete with a cape around him. He wore a stern, angry look on his face. In his hand, he held a whip. With it, he was whipping strange creatures, forcing them to work tirelessly to no end. He was shouting at them, and laughing every now and then._

_Suddenly, a little green bug-like creature appeared behind him. "Master?" it called._

_The boy turned around, narrowing his eyes behind those glasses._

_"Maybe you shouldn't make them work so hard," the thing suggested. "Or at least give them a break."_

_"Don't talk!" the boy ordered, whipping the creature. Then he added, "Ever!"_

_"What happened to the kind boy I once knew?" it asked._

_"Don't you ever listen!" The boy whipped it. "Here's a suggestion: Why don't YOU go work with them!" He whipped it again. "Go, NOW!"_

Ken opened his eyes. He looked around, finding himself in his room. _'What a strange dream,' _he thought, with images of the harsh boy and the weird creatures stuck in his mind. He sat there for a moment, pondering what it could have meant. Then he shrugged, figuring that it was only a dream, nothing more.

He got up and tiredly and made his way to the kitchen. He sat down at the table, yawning. There was no one in the room. He yawned again, then laid his head on the table, shutting his eyes. And sitting there, half asleep, he heard whispers and a quiet sobbing. It provoked a curiosity in him, and he got up and made his way toward the soft sounds. They lead him to… his parents' room.

He stood right outside the room, silent, listening carefully:

"Oh, I feel terrible," came his mother's voice.

"I know," his father told her, "and so do I."

"We're not good parents," Mrs. Ichijouji said.

"It's true," Mr. Ichijouji agreed.

"We went wrong when Ken was just a little boy, and look what's happened now. We can't do anything right."

Ken peeked around the corner, just enough to be able to see. He caught a glimpse of his parents. The two of them were sitting on their bed. His mother had her face buried in her hands, crying, and his father had an arm around her. The sight touched him.

"And what about Sam?" Mrs. Ichijouji went on. "Everything we've ever done has been wrong."

"Sam…" Mr. Ichijouji muttered.

"We're a failure as parents."

Ken stepped into the room at that moment. "Mom," he said soothingly, "don't cry."

She looked up at him.

Then Ken turned to his father, who was about to cry too. Ken wriggled in between them, and put an arm around each of them. "You're not failures," he said.

His mother complained, "But, yesterday, you said…"

"I didn't mean it," Ken told her. "I've said a lot of things I didn't mean in this past week. I've been so mean to you… I didn't mean it. I didn't mean _any _of it."

"Really?" she asked.

Ken nodded.

His mother hugged him, squeezing him so hard that it hurt. His father, too, had his arms around him. Ken never said a word, but it was that moment that he knew they were real. The embrace, the tears, the love… It was all sincere. He knew that he could trust them. Though he didn't quite know everything to them, he knew that they true; that fact he remembered.

The next day…

"What'd I tell ya, Ken?" Davis asked, grinning. "I said I'd put together a meeting and I did! Any moment now and we'll be at the park!"

Davis sat next to his sister, Jun, who was driving, and Ken was in the back seat. He was nervous.

In a few minutes, the car came to a halt.

"Here we are!" Jun exclaimed. "Have fun boys!"

The two friends got out of the car. Davis looked over at his buddy, inquiring, "Think you're ready for this?"

Ken examined his surroundings. The park seemed familiar, in an odd way. He didn't exactly recognize it, but he knew somehow that he had been there before.

"We're gonna meet in the middle of the park," Davis explained, "and… Oh! I forgot to tell you! Yolei can't make it."

"Which one is she again?" Ken asked confusedly.

"Oh, come on! You know!"

Ken shook his head.

"I know you know! Come on, come on, come on, think!"

Ken shut his eyes tightly, thinking hard. "Oh, that's right," he said then. "She's the one with lavender hair and glasses that's clinging onto me in the picture." He smacked his forehead. "How could I forget?"

Davis shrugged. "Don't worry about it, man."

And then they appeared: TK Takaishi, Kari Kamiya, and Cody Hida. They greeted Ken cheerfully, each shaking his hand and introducing themselves. Then, the five of them sat on the ground in a circle.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Kari said. "Just thinking about it makes me feel horrible. But we're going to help you, Ken."

"Yes," Cody told him, nodding.

"Thank you," Ken said gratefully.

"Now, Ken," TK said, "does the word 'digimon' mean anything to you?"

Clueless, Ken asked, "Digi… what?"

"Digimon," TK repeated.

Ken stared at him. "No. What is it?"

The other digidestined exchanged nervous glances.

"Digimon is… uh…" Kari began. She then looked over at TK, who, in turn, looked to Cody, and Cody looked to Davis.

Davis shrugged. "Ya know," he said, "it's… um… a computer program! Yeah, that's it! A computer program."

Ken, puzzled, further questioned him: "What about it?"

"Oh, you were just… really… well… involved in it. Yeah. _Involved. _Like a hobby!"

"I don't remember anything about it," Ken said.

"Anyway," Davis said, changing the subject, "Yolei couldn't make it cause she's working at her dad's convenience store. Bummer, huh?"

Kari nodded.

"Especially for you, huh, Ken?" Davis joked.

Ken ignored him.

"Hey guys, I had this awesome dream last night!" Davis exclaimed.

"Let me guess," Cody said, "Kari was in it?"

"Nah… I mean… Yeah, but she was just cheering for me!" He winked. "Yeah, that's right. I was playing basketball, a one on one, and who was my opponent?" Grinning, he pointed to TK.

"Me?" TK asked.

"Yep! We were playing, and Kari was there, cheering for _me,_ but it wasn't just her. Cody, you were there, and you too, Ken, and Yolei. All my friends were cheering for me. In fact, the whole crowd was! And who was winning the game, huh? I was, of course! By a long shot! TK, you couldn't even make a single basket! In the end, I won it all! I'm not even gonna tell you what the score was cause it would be so embarrassing for you, TK!" With that, Davis laughed.

TK rolled his eyes. "Not even in your dreams, Davis. Not even in your dreams."

"What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"You couldn't beat me."

Davis glared at him. "Oh yeah? I'll take you, one on one. Right here, right now! Somebody give me a basketball! I'll show you!"

Kari giggled. "Davis," she said, "you're funny. There's no basketball court here."

Davis blushed. "Oh, that's right…" Then he crossed his arms angrily. "Later then. Alright, TK? Next time we get together, it's on! I'll kick your butt!"

TK rolled his eyes again.

"You know," Ken said thoughtfully, "I had a dream last night too."

The others looked to him curiously.

"It was about this really harsh boy. He was whipping these weird creatures and ordering them around, making them work non-stop. And then there was a little green bug that came to him- he called him 'Master'- and told him that he should stop making them work. He just yelled at it, whipped it, and then made it work with the others." He shrugged. "Talk about weird, huh?"

The other digidestined looked at each other, all of them frowning.

"The Digimon Emperor," Kari whispered.

Cody nodded.

"What should we do?" TK asked softly.

"I don't know," Cody replied.

"Yeah, that's pretty weird," TK told Ken nervously.

"Think it means anything?" Ken asked.

"It could," Cody told him.

"But I doubt it!" Davis piped in.

"It's too… um… too strange to mean anything," Kari said.

All of the others agreed.

* * *

The day had gone fairly well. That everybody agreed on. But there were still worries and concerns in the back of the other digidestineds' minds… 

After their meeting with Ken at the park, the four of them stopped by Davis's house to have a talk.

"How are we supposed to explain the digital world to Ken?" Kari asked.

"We can't," TK answered. "I thought maybe he might remember it, but I guess not. His amnesia must be serious."

"It is," Davis told him. "He's forgotten practically everything."

"But we can't hide it too long," Cody said. "Sooner or later, something's bound to slip out. Like mentioning one of our digimon or something."

"And besides," Kari added, "Minomon's depressed. He _needs_ Ken."

"There's gotta be some little memory stuck in his mind somewhere," Cody pointed out. "I mean, he did have that dream about the Digimon Emperor."

"Yeah," Davis agreed, "but we couldn't even try to explain the digital world to him. He wouldn't believe it. We've gotta keep our mouths shut till he gets his memory back."

"But what if that's not for a long time?" Kari questioned worriedly.

Davis shrugged. He didn't know the answer to that question.

No one did.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The mirror. Every time Ken looked into it, the boy who stared back at him seemed a little more familiar, yet at the same time, became a little more distant. It was strange.

He sighed, stepping back from the mirror. "Mom!" he called. "I'm going out!"

His mother entered the room. "Out?" she questioned.

"I just wanna go on a walk," Ken told her. "I need time to get away and be alone."

"I don't know," Mrs. Ichijouji told him, concerned. "How will you know where you're going? Or how to get back home?"

"I'll be fine," Ken assured her.

"Well… Alright. Just don't be gone too long, honey."

Ken nodded, and was soon on his way. He walked down the sidewalk with his hung as he stared at the ground. He paid no attention to the people or places that surrounded him; he was too consumed by thought to notice anything.

He walked for the longest time, and his leisurely stroll eventually led him to the Tamachi soccer field. He stopped there, heading up to the bleachers, sitting on the middle row. Then he sat there for a while, head in hand, staring at the sky, then the soccer field, then the sky, then the soccer field… Thinking, thinking, thinking.

"Hey Ken," somebody called.

Ken averted his gaze. It was Davis. He held a soccer ball under his arm.

"I stopped by your place," Davis explained. "I came over to see if you'd like to hang out, but your mom said that you'd gone out for a walk. I've been looking all over for you." He paused, tossing the soccer ball up in the air. Then he caught it and continued, "I thought maybe we could play and talk some more. What do you say? Play a game with me?"

Ken shook his head. "What's the point?" he asked sadly. "I'm not good anyway."

Davis went up the bleachers, sitting next to Ken. "Sure you are," he said.

"No, I'm not." Ken sighed. "You know, I watched these videos the other day that said I was a genius and that I was so good at soccer that I'd set a record. I was all over the news and on commercials. But this morning, I woke up and it dawned on me. I remembered that none of it's true."

Davis was quiet.

"That's right, isn't it?"

Davis looked at him, frowning. "Well, Ken, it was at one time."

"What happened to me?" Ken questioned.

"I don't think you'd understand, Ken, with your amnesia and all."

Ken let out another heavy sigh.

"You're not a _genius,"_ Davis said, "but that doesn't mean you're not smart. Yeah, you make good grades. And you _are_ good at soccer. Just not as good as you used to be. I mean, before, you didn't even need a team! I should know, cause my team had to play yours. You didn't show up at first, cause you had a commercial to shoot, but we were doin' fine before you came. The game was actually going pretty well for us. Then, when you came, you dominated the field. You scored _so _many goals, and there was, like, no way to get passed you! You probably could've beaten us all by yourself. You were _that _good."

"I don't understand what could've made me change," Ken said.

"Believe me, buddy, it was for the best."

"How could it be!" Ken asked, raising his voice. "Huh? Tell me! I've been trying to discover myself for eight days now, and when I think I've finally found something out, I remember that it's all a lie! And I thought…" He paused, sniveling, then went on, "…it was the truth. I didn't remember anything about being a genius or great athlete, but I figured it was real since it was all on the news. I was proud of it. But what do I have to be proud of now?"

Davis smiled. "Remembering," he answered. "That's definitely something to be proud of. You _remembered_. Doesn't it make you feel good?"

"I guess it does, in a way," Ken replied, "but I just wish I would've remembered something else. And I also wish you'd tell me what happened, how and why I changed, and why it could've been a good thing."

"Let me just say that it wasn't really who you were," Davis told him. "You were… well… enhanced."

"What was I? Some sort of science experiment?"

"Not really."

"Then what?"

"I don't know, Ken."

Ken looked to his friend, examining him closely. "But you do," he said. "I can see it. You do know. Please, Davis. If you know what happened to me, tell me. I want to know. I _need _to know. Please!"

Davis turned to Ken, who so greatly yearned for answers, but he was unsure as to if he should tell him of his past.

"Please," Ken repeated. "This is _me _we're talking about. I deserve to know. I want to remember."

"Well, it was called the Dark Spore," Davis said finally. "The way it effected you, it almost seemed like a program. It increased your intelligence and athletic ability, but it also made you an angry person, and you sort of isolated yourself from the rest of the world. But, like I said before, it wasn't who you were. You stayed like that for a while though, but, later, you fought off the effects and returned to your good old self."

Ken still didn't seem to understand. "The Dark Spore? Was that used a code name? So I _was _an experiment…?"

"Believe me," Davis went on, "you'll get it as soon as your memory comes back to you. And, whether you believe it or not, it really is. Pretty slowly, but it's coming back to ya."

Ken was quiet.

Davis nudged his troubled friend in the side, grinning. "Would you like to play some soccer, 'rocket'?"

"I'm not really that good at soccer, so why do you call me that?"

"You're still better and faster than I am," Davis assured him. "C'mon, Ken, let's play."

Ken sat there for a moment, thinking. Then he smiled. "Alright," he said.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Yesterday morning, Ken had awoken with pride in knowing that he was a genius and great athlete, but after going over it in his head, his first memory had come to him: He knew it wasn't true. He wasn't a genius, and he wasn't really athletic.

Davis Motamiya had explained something about the "Dark Spore". But what was it? All Davis said was that it enhanced him temporarily. But was there more to it than that? What was the Dark Spore really supposed to be? Was it an experiment? Was he nothing more than just a pawn for someone's research?

Those questions and more raced through Ken's head that day as he tried to figure out the Dark Spore. He recalled nothing about it, and it wasn't familiar to him at all. Yet Davis had described it as "like a program" and he said it was the source of a change in him. It made him an angry person, Davis told him, causing him to be isolated from the rest of the world…

Had he really been angry in the past?

Ken didn't know. Anything before awakening on the ship after his accident was a blur to him. His past was gone, utterly erased from his memory.

He sighed heavily, his own thoughts becoming too much for him. Shutting his eyes, he laid back in his bed.

There were too many unanswered questions, and it confused him terribly. His head ached from all the thinking, leaving him in a state of mental exhaustion, and even so, the thoughts didn't leave him.

So, so many questions left unanswered…

He went shopping with his parents later that day. Though he tried to have fun with it and concentrate on what he was doing, his mind kept wandering off.

"Honey, reach over there and grab me some rice, would you?"

_'I wonder just what Davis meant? 'Like a program'? And if I really was so angry in the past, why? And why would I have isolated myself? Surely…'_

"Ken, dear, did you hear me?"

_'…the Dark Spore alone couldn't have caused that. The explanation Davis gave me almost seems unreal. It wasn't enough. He didn't make it clear. I need more!'_

"The rice, Ken!"

His mother's sharp tone brought the boy back to reality. "Sorry," he mumbled as he finally reached over and picked up some rice as he'd been ordered.

"You really ought to pay more attention," Mrs. Ichijouji said.

"I'm trying to," Ken insisted. "It's just that there's so much on my mind!"

"It's alright, Kenny."

Later, when they were through, Ken's parents stood in a long line, waiting to purchase their things. Ken, however, stood back and alone, waiting impatiently for them.

Sighing with disgust, he leaned against the wall. All he wanted to do was go home. That way, he could escape from all the noisy busyness of the shop and get away from all those people! Then he could search for answers.

A girl suddenly caught his eye: Long, lavender hair, tall and thin with glasses…

The picture popped into his mind. There was TK Takaishi to the very left, with an arm around Kari Kamiya, Cody Hida to the far right, Davis Motamiya in the middle, and Ken himself next to Davis, and hanging onto his arm…

Yolei Inoue.

It had to be her. She looked just like the girl in the picture. He glanced over at his parents- still waiting in line, with a long time yet to go- and then slowly slipped away. The girl had been absent for the get-together before and he had yet to speak with her. This was his chance.

He popped up behind her, tapping her shoulder, and she whirled around, a bit startled.

"Yolei…?" he questioned hopefully.

In an instant, the girl's arms were around him, embracing him.

"Ken!" she exclaimed. "It's so good to see you! It's been a while!"

No response.

Yolei looked up at him, smiling cheerfully. Her smile faded, though, when she noticed the seriousness in Ken's expression. He wore a stern look, and eyed her cautiously. She let go of him, and suddenly recalled what Davis had told her about Ken's accident and his getting amnesia. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I forgot! You don't know anything! Or, you don't _remember _anything, to be better put. But really, I guess it doesn't matter. They both kinda mean the same thing, so…" Her voice trailed off. She watched Ken, whose expression hadn't changed.

"Yolei," Ken said the name to himself, wondering about her.

"Bingo!" Yolei exclaimed. "Yolei Inoue!" She grinned. Then it hit her. "Hey," she said, "I thought you'd forgotten everything, so how come you know my name?"

"Davis Motamiya told me," Ken answered.

"And how were you able to recognize me?"

"I have a picture," Ken explained. "I realized that you're the girl that's…" He paused for a second, then went on, "…_clinging _onto me."

Yolei laughed nervously. "Oh yeah," she said, "I remember that picture."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Ken said, a smile finally coming to his lips.

Seeing Ken smile, Yolei couldn't help but smile herself. "I suppose it is!" Then she bowed. "Listen, I'm really sorry I wasn't able to make it to the meeting the other day."

Ken just looked at her, his blue eyes meeting her brown behind those glasses of hers. "It's-" -he broke his eye contact with her- "-alright."

"I don't know, somehow the fact that you have amnesia slipped my mind when I saw you. Sorry if I offended you. But, anyway, I think it's just terrible. I really feel for you."

Ken simply nodded.

"Ken?"

"Hmm?"

"Look at me."

He looked up, but it was impossible to truly meet her eyes.

"What's the matter?" Yolei questioned.

Something about eye contact was hard, he wasn't sure why. "I…" he started, but no words followed.

"Yolei!" someone called.

The girl glanced over her shoulder.

"C'mon, Yolei! We gotta get going!"

Yolei turned back to Ken, frowning. "That's my sister calling for me," she told him. "I've got to go."

"Goodbye, I guess."

Yolei put her arms around him in a tight hug. "You're worried, I can tell," she whispered. "Don't be. It's all gonna turn out ok, you'll see." With that, she let go of him, smiling.

A hug was just what he needed, and the words were very uplifting. "Thanks," he said gratefully.

"Talk to ya later Ken!" Yolei exclaimed. "Buh bye!"

Ken waved to her. "Bye," he muttered, almost hating to see her go. Their time together had been so short.

She left, but not without turning around when she was a few feet away to tell him goodbye one last time and give him a quick wink.

Perhaps, having finally met the girl, he now had something else to contemplate.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

He was sitting in front of his computer the next day, constantly looking at the picture of his friends that sat beside it. He'd replaced the frame he'd shattered before, and the picture was as good as new.

And then he got an idea: He would do a little searching. Why he hadn't thought of that before, he didn't know, but he immediately got up and began going through drawers and his closet and _everything_. The drawer at his computer desk he explored last…

"What's this?" he asked, pulling out two weird objects. He held them in his hands, staring at them. One thing, small and black and gray in color, had a few buttons that he messed with. After nothing happened, he put it down and fidgeted with the other. Nothing happed with that either. Confusedly, he put it down as well, and he couldn't help but wonder what the strange devices were.

"I'll call Davis," he said thoughtfully. With that, he left his room, then grabbing a phone book and searching for Motamiya. Before long he was on the phone, chatting with Davis.

"Davis," Ken said, "there's got to be another meeting."

"What?" Davis asked in surprise. "You actually _want_ to get with the others?"

"I have questions," Ken answered.

"Oh. Sure, I can do that for you. I'll get the others. When ya wanna do it?"

"Now!" Ken told him impatiently. "I mean… as soon as possible."

"Must be some important questions!"

"They are," Ken assured him.

"Well, then there's no time to waste! I've got to get calling the others. Bye, Ken!"

* * *

Davis, Kari, TK, Cody, Ken… Just one was missing, Yolei Inoue. 

Again.

It disappointed Ken. Their previous meeting had been so brief, and he hadn't really gotten to talk to her much. It began to look as though she wasn't going to show up, but then she wandered over to him, seemingly having come out of no where.

"Hey Ken," she called.

Ken turned to her. "Hello," he greeted simply.

"I'm here this time!" she heralded. "Happy?"

Ken smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, way to be early, Yolei," Davis joked. "We've been waiting for you forever!"

"I'm sorry, guys, I was a little busy," Yolei explained, bowing. "But I'm here, aren't I?"

"So, what are these questions of yours, Ken?" TK brought up.

Ken glanced over at him. "Oh, that's right," he said. "I wanted to show you guys something." He pulled the two devices he discovered earlier out of his pocket. "See?" He held them out for everyone to look at.

Kari leaned over to TK, whispering, "His D-3."

"And D-Terminal," TK added quietly.

"Do you guys know what they are?" Ken asked.

"Sure!" Yolei exclaimed.

Davis jabbed her in the side, and she immediately quieted.

"How can we explain this?" Cody asked softly.

"Quit whispering," Ken told them, annoyed.

Kari laughed nervously. "Sorry about that," she said, "it's just that those things you've got… um… they're…"

"Remember that 'digimon' thing I mentioned last time?" TK asked.

Ken nodded. "That computer program? I remember."

"Computer program?" Yolei whispered questioningly to Kari.

"Just go along with it," Kari told her.

"Those things have to do with it," Cody explained.

"Yeah, that's right!" Yolei piped in.

"They're a key part to the program," Davis said. "You can't use it unless you've got them."

Ken stared at the objects in his hands. Then he looked at all of his friends. "I guess I must've been _really_ involved with this 'digimon' thing."

"You definitely were!" Yolei exclaimed.

Changing the subject, Cody asked Davis, "So, did you and TK ever have that basketball game?"

Davis was quiet for a moment. Then, glaring at TK, he said, "Hey! We never had our game! You're been avoiding me these past couple of days, haven't you?"

"No I haven't," TK insisted.

"Well, it's on! And I _know_ there's no court in the park-" -he glanced over at Kari- "-so we're just gonna go find one. There's one not too far from here, I think. It'll take some time, but we can walk there. So that's where we're going! C'mon, everybody!"

Later…

The six of them had found the public basketball court. Davis and TK were playing- TK in the lead- while Cody, Ken, and Kari stood back and watched. Yolei was following the game very closely, keeping score and sort of refereeing it.

As TK made another basket, Kari cheered, "Alright, TK!"

Ken looked at her, then at Davis.

That's how it went for a long time. Kari cheered continuously, "Go, TK!" "Great shot, TK!"

Ken, angered and irritated, raised his voice then: "Show him what you've got, Davis!" he yelled, and just after that, his friend made a basket.

Kari turned to Ken. "You're cheering for Davis?"

"We're all friends here, aren't we?" Ken asked.

"Yes."

"Well," Ken went on, "then it isn't right for one friend to get all the praise and attention. Davis deserves some cheering too. If you're not going to root for him, _I_ will."

Kari gaped at him. "You're _so _right, Ken!" Then she frowned. "How could I do that? They're both my friends and I should treat them equally. There's so much I can learn from you."

"Thanks," Ken said, embarrassed by her comment.

"Go Davis!" Kari cheered loudly.

It caught Davis's attention, and he turned to look at her for a second, smiling happily.

Then, Ken looked to Cody. "You're not cheering," he pointed out.

"I'm not very into this kind of thing," he said.

"I see."

Cody had been so quiet. Not just today, but at the other meeting they'd had as well. It puzzled Ken. And then, with Cody standing next to him, just as quiet as ever, a question popped into Ken's mind.

"You used to hate me," he muttered.

Cody turned to him, frowning. "What?"

"Didn't you?"

"I never _hated _you, Ken, but I haven't always like you," Cody admitted. "That was a couple of years ago though."

Ken grinned. "Hey," he said happily, "I remembered something."

"Yeah," Cody said. "I'm just sorry that you had to remember _that. _I don't hate you, Ken."

"I understand."

When the game was over, TK ended up winning, but how close Davis made the game surprised everyone. After the game, Cody left for a kendo lesson, and TK, Kari, and Davis all noted that they had to go:

"Mom said I had to be home before six," Davis explained, shrugging.

"That's right," Kari agreed. "I've got to get home too!"

"Me too," TK told him.

Ken watched as the three of them walked away, and then went to Yolei. "Yolei?" he called to her. "Can you stay?"

"Why?"

Ken looked away. Eye contact was still hard. "I haven't gotten to know you," he said. "I've talked to all the others, but I haven't had time with _you._ I was hoping maybe we could talk while Davis and TK were playing, but you were too busy with the game…"

"Oh."

"So can you?"

Smiling, Yolei told him, "Sure."

"Let's go back to the park," Ken suggested.

"Ok."

The walk back to the park was odd for Yolei. Ken was silent, staring at the ground as he walked, and she couldn't think of anything to say to him. When they reached the park though, things got better. The two of them sat atop a hill, and Ken immediately asked her to tell him about herself.

Yolei told him.

And told him.

She went on cheerfully, chatting her heart away. But she didn't bore Ken. He listened intently; interested in anything and everything she had to say. When she finally stopped talking, Ken looked at her, smiling.

"You know what I see in you?" he asked.

"What's that?"

"A very sincere and loving person."

His words surprised her. Love and Sincerity were, of course, her Digimentals. She searched for a reply, but nothing much came to her. "Thank you," was all that she could say. She then watched Ken carefully.

"You're welcome." Ken sensed her look upon him and quickly turned his head away, his face a bit red.

The girl inched closer to him. "See the sunset?" she questioned.

Ken gazed at the sky with its many colors as the sun was slowly setting.

She inched closer. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Ken nodded.

And then closer still.

Ken looked at her, perplexed. He wondered why she had made her way so close to him, but decided to ignore it and go back to watching the sunset.

Yolei giggled. "You're still the same!" she exclaimed happily.

"How's that?" Ken asked curiously.

Yolei slipped her hand into his. "I guess-" -her face became a little red- "-I have a tendency to do things like this. People have told you 'things' about me before- rumors and such- but you always ignore them. Their words never mean anything. Why, just the other day, Davis and Cody were…" She paused, then went on, "I guess you wouldn't remember that. Thank goodness! Anyhow, when I do stuff like this, it never matters to you. It's as if you don't care, but it's in a good way."

"Then I must be used to things like…" He paused, gesturing to their entwined hands. "…this."

"You kind of are," Yolei admitted shyly. "But I'm really surprised that you would let me get so close to you, considering that you don't know me."

"I know you."

Yolei looked at him, surprised. "You remember me!"

"No," Ken answered, "I don't exactly _remember _you, but something about you is very familiar. I can't explain it, I just know."

Yolei sighed happily. "Ken, I…"

"Yes?"

"I…" Her face became redder. "Never mind."

For a long time, the two sat there, watching the sunset. Both were quiet. Ken was consumed in deep thought. Then he broke the silence. "You have them too, don't you?" he inquired.

"What?"

With his free hand, Ken pulled his D-3 and D-terminal out of his pocket. "These."

"Well, yeah," Yolei told him.

"I remember," Ken said. "We all have them, don't we?"

Yolei nodded in response.

"And we're all involved in this 'digimon' thing, right?"

"Yep!"

"This 'digimon'… It's important, isn't it? Not just to me, but all of us."

Yolei grinned. "Yes! I'm proud of you, Ken! You've remembered _so_ much!"

Ken smiled. "Something about you brought it back to me. So, thank you."

"I haven't done anything," Yolei said.

"Sure you have. You've helped me."

"Well… You're welcome, I guess."

Ken looked at her, smiling. Eye contact wasn't hard anymore. "We'll have to get together again some time," he said softly.

"We will," Yolei assured him.

The two teens were silent from then on, watching the sunset.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Minomon!" Davis exclaimed, picking up the little critter and twirling around with it. "I've got good news!"

"I can go home?" Minomon guessed hopefully.

"Not yet, but it shouldn't be too much longer!" Davis grinned. "I just got word from Yolei. She said she talked with Ken for a long time last evening and that he remembered a lot of stuff! I think everything about digimon is slowly coming back to him."

"I hope so."

"Don't worry about it!" DemiVeemon piped in. "Ken'll be ok!"

* * *

Ken shut his eyes tightly, trying to picture what he'd seen. 

The night before, he'd had another strange dream. The little green bug from the dream he'd had previously had appeared again, along with lots of others: A blue and white dragonish creature, a red bird, a white cat with hints of purple on its ears and tail, an armadillo thing, and a weird little orange creature with bat-like ears that served as wings.

Ken held a pencil in his hand and there was a blank piece of paper in front of him. He opened his eyes and started sketching the creatures from his dream. When he was finished, he sighed, dissatisfied with his picture. "I guess I'm not much of an artist," he muttered, putting down the pencil.

And then he heard a beeping sound. He looked around, wondering where it could've come from. It seemed to be coming from his drawer. He opened it, and discovered that the sound was coming from one of the devices he'd found the other day. He held it in his hands, toying with it. He fiddled with it for a while, pushing buttons and such, and then a message suddenly popped up.

'Ken,

I just wanted to see if you remembered how to use your D-terminal. See, we can communicate using them and write e-mails to each other. If you can figure it out, write back when you get this, ok?

Yolei'

_'D-terminal?' _Ken thought. He didn't recognize the word. He shrugged, then messed with the device a little longer, eventually figuring out how to use it.

* * *

Eagerly, Yolei read the message aloud to herself: 

"Yolei,

I had no idea that we could write to each other using these D-terminal things. Thanks for showing me. I also figured out that I could write to Davis, Cody, TK, and Kari. Maybe I'll do that later. Thanks again!

Ken"

She wrote back to him:

'Ken,

Let's get together again soon. I want to see you.'

* * *

That evening, as the Ichijouji family was sitting down having their dinner, Ken wouldn't eat. He simply stirred his food around, seeming a little disturbed. 

"Honey, what's the matter?" his mother asked.

Ken hung his head and messed with his food a little longer. "I…" he began, but suddenly stopped, his face turning red.

"Whatever's on your mind, Ken, you can tell us," his father said.

"I wanna… well… I don't know how to ask you." He looked up at his parents, his face becoming even redder.

"You can ask us anything," his father assured him.

"Well," Ken said, "I want to… uh… have a friend over."

"Oh, that's great, Kenny!" Mrs. Ichijouji exclaimed happily. "Who is it?"

Blushing even more terribly, Ken answered, "Yolei Inoue."

"Aw, now that's a good idea," his mother told him. "She's a nice girl. I think you're starting to be like your old self, Ken."

"So… um… may I? I mean, I… I want to talk to her."

Mr. Ichijouji looked to his wife, who nodded. "Sure," he replied. "We'll have her over tomorrow afternoon."

"It'll be good for you, Ken," Mrs. Ichijouji said. "I've been so worried about you. You've been thinking too much and spending lots of your time alone. I'm so glad that you're willing to try and be yourself again!"

Ken nodded, smiling.

The next day, Ken sat before the door, waiting for Yolei to arrive. He glanced nervously at a nearby clock, and began to wonder what in the world had made him want to invite her over.

Then there was a knock on the door. Ken got up and opened it…

"Ken!" Yolei exclaimed cheerily. "I'm here!"

"Hello," Ken mumbled shyly. Then he took her hand and pulled her inside. "Um… Let's go to my room, shall we? It's-"

"I know," Yolei interrupted. "I've been here before."

"Have you?" Ken questioned. "I didn't know."

"It's ok, Ken."

The two teens made their way to Ken's room. Immediately, Yolei spied a drawing sitting on a little table in Ken's room. She sat at the table, picking up the picture.

"Did you draw this, Ken?" she asked curiously.

Ken sat across from her. "Yeah," he replied. "It's… not exactly very good…"

"It's no million dollar work of art, I'll admit, but it's better than what I could do!"

"Well," Ken said, embarrassed, "I did my best."

"Say, Ken, what are these little things?" Yolei questioned, pretending as though she didn't know.

"Uh… I really don't know. I've had these two dreams, you see." He pointed to the little green bug in the picture. "That one there was in both of them, and the others were in my most recent one."

"Mm-hmm… Well, it certainly is interesting! Do they have names?"

"Names?"

"Sure!" Yolei exclaimed. "You've gotta name 'em!"

"I haven't."

"Then allow _me _to name them for you! Ok now…" Yolei placed her finger on the red bird. "This one here is my favorite! Call him Hawkmon."

"Hawkmon?" Ken asked, puzzled.

"Yep! He's so awesome!" Then she pointed to Cody's partner. "This is Armadillomon. And this one-" -now she had her finger on the cat- "-will be Gatomon."

Ken just stared at her.

Then she announced the name of TK's partner: "This little guy is Patamon." Next, the dragon: "His name is Veemon." She then placed her finger on the green bug…

"And we're going to call that one Wormmon," Ken said.

Yolei looked to him in surprise.

"Wormmon," Ken repeated.

"It's a good name," Yolei said.

"Wormmon," Ken said again. He looked at Yolei quizzically. "It's familiar," he said. "Why is does that sound so familiar to me?"

"Um… I… I don't know, Ken."

Ken simply sat there a moment, taking it all in. All of the names were strangely familiar. So odd… But he decided to put that aside for a moment, as he had other thoughts in his mind. He looked to Yolei with a serious expression on his face.

"What can you tell me about the Dark Spore?" he asked.

Yolei bit her bottom lip nervously. "How'd you know about that?"

"Davis tried to explain it to me," Ken answered, "but he didn't do a good job with it."

"Well…"

"If you know something- _anything- _tell me," Ken demanded.

"All I know is that it changed you. It made you a mean person, and corrupted your mind with vile thoughts."

"What? That's not what Davis told me. He said that the Dark Spore made me smarter and more of an athlete!"

"Yeah, it did that too."

"Although Davis did mention that it made me angry," Ken added.

"Exactly."

Ken sighed. "This is so confusing!"

"Forget it, Ken," Yolei advised. "It's all in the past."

"Ugh! Don't you get it!" Ken exclaimed angrily. "I _have_ forgotten! Yes, it's in the past, and that's _exactly _why I want to know! I don't remember anything, Yolei!"

Yolei let out a soft whimper. "Please don't yell at me," she said timidly. "I'm only trying to help."

Ken glared at her, and she sort of sank back in her seat, as if from fear. He sat there quietly for a while, watching her. Something about her eyes, her face, all of her, made him feel guilty then. His expression softened as he reached across the table for her hand. "Yolei," he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok, Ken. I guess it must be really hard for you to have amnesia like this."

_"Very _hard, but that didn't give me the right to yell at you." He paused, frowning, then went on, "Will you forgive me?"

"Yes, Ken."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

Davis Motamiya eagerly ran ahead of the group. He stopped for a second, turning around and waving to the others. "Come on, guys!" he called. "Don't be so slow!"

A few more days had passed, and with little, if any, progression for Ken Ichijouji's condition: still plenty of questions and confusion in his head. However, he'd have to set that aside… for now anyway.

It had been Yolei's idea to meet at the beach and play around in the ocean, build sandcastles, talk- whatever anyone felt like doing. They'd all agreed to it, and it was a perfect day for the occasion. The sun was out and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky.

TK, Kari, and Cody quickly chased after Davis, while Yolei and Ken kept going at their leisurely pace, purposely staying a bit behind.

"It's such a wonderful day," Yolei pointed out.

"Sure is," Ken agreed.

"Good day for a swim too," she added.

"Mm-hmm."

"This is gonna be so much fun, huh, Ken?"

"Yep."

The others were already in the ocean. "Yolei! Ken!" Davis shouted. "You're taking way too long! Hurry up!"

Yolei started running. "Ken," she said, "they're waiting for us!"

Ken ran behind her and they swiftly approached the ocean. However, when they got to its shore, Ken stopped abruptly. He stared at the ocean.

After wading in a little ways, Yolei realized that Ken was no longer behind her. She turned around, looking to him. "Ken…?"

A wave rolled across the ocean then, gently. Ken's eyes widened and he stepped back. He bit his bottom lip, taking another step backward. Something wasn't right.

Yolei came up to him. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Aren't you going to swim with us?"

"Yolei, something's wrong," Ken told her.

"Huh?"

"I want to wait a while," Ken decided. With that, he seated himself on the ground. He stared blankly out at the ocean.

Yolei sat next to him. "I don't get it," she said with a shrug, "but ok."

They sat there quietly for a long time. Yolei watched the others:

Davis sneaked up behind Cody, then quickly dunked the kid underwater. When he came up coughing and sputtering, Davis laughed uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, Kari splashed a clueless TK. He turned around, exclaiming, "Hey!" and she started to giggle.

Grinning, TK splashed back playfully.

Yolei looked to Ken. "TK and Kari sure are cute together, aren't they?"

"I guess."

"How come you won't swim, Ken?"

Ken hung his head, then stuck a finger in the sand, sort of drawing circles in it. "I dunno," he mumbled.

"You can tell me."

"That ocean…" Ken looked into her eyes, stammering, "I'm-I'm afraid, Yolei."

"What?"

"I can't go in there."

"Why?"

Ken didn't say a word. He continued to watch the ocean. "I can hear the waves," he muttered.

"When we came here, you wanted to swim," Yolei said. "What happened?"

"I… That ocean… I have this feeling that's it's just going to come up on me and consume me. It's going to swallow me up and leave me in darkness." He looked to Yolei worriedly. "It scares me. Is there anything that happened in the past that could've made me this way?"

"Maybe it's because you fell off the ship," Yolei suggested. "That's what gave you your amnesia, and you could've drown, so…"

"No, it's deeper and darker than that." Just then, a big wave crashed down upon the shore. "Yolei," he whined. "Yolei."

"Ken?"

Ken shut his eyes tightly. "Don't let it take me, Yolei!" he pleaded. "Don't let the darkness take me!"

Darkness. He kept saying that! Yolei didn't get it. But then a memory from their adventures in the digital world came to her: Once, she, Kari, and Ken had been taken to another world, and there had been an ocean there that both Ken and Kari feared terribly. Of course! The powers of darkness were Ken's greatest fear. Now, as he stared out at the ocean before him, he must've been seeing…

"I'm gonna go get Kari, ok?" Yolei asked. "I think she could understand you better than I can."

As she stood, Ken looked up at her, his eyes wide.

Yolei soon returned with Kari at her side. "Tell her what you're feeling," she ordered Ken.

"I'm afraid," Ken started nervously. "I feel like the ocean's going to take me. It's going to engulf me in darkness." He looked at Kari, frowning. "Am I crazy, Kari?"

Kari sat next to him, putting an arm around him. "No, Ken. No, you're not. You must be thinking it's the Dark Ocean."

"The Dark Ocean…?"

"Something from your past," Kari explained. "You've always been scared of it. I've seen it as well, and I'm afraid too. But the ocean in front of us isn't what you think it is. Look out there, Ken, and you'll see. Davis, Cody, and TK are in it, and they're perfectly fine. They're swimming and having fun. The ocean hasn't taken them; it's not going to."

Confused, Ken questioned, "What is the Dark Ocean?"

Kari thought. "It's hard to explain, but it really doesn't matter. The Dark Ocean isn't part of you anymore. It's gone. Trust me Ken, what you see before you isn't darkness. Everything is perfectly fine." She took Ken's hand and helped him to his feet.

"Kari, I don't understand," Ken said. "You didn't tell me what the Dark Ocean was. Why was I so afraid of it? Why has this come back to me? Why am I bothered now?"

"You've been through a lot in your life, Ken," Kari told him. "You really have been. The Dark Ocean is somewhere you and I have both been. Knowing the power it has over us, it's understandable that- seeing this ocean- your fear would come back to you. But, please, come with me. The ocean isn't what you think! It's not dark and it's not going to take you."

"Go on," Yolei urged.

Ken followed Kari and they slowly waded into the ocean. He held onto the girl tightly, unsure if she really knew what she was talking about, unsure if she really understood how he was feeling, unsure if the ocean was really safe…

"Heads up, Ken!"

In an instant, a splash of water struck his face and Davis Motamiya was beside him, laughing.

"Don't do that!" Kari scolded.

"What?" Davis asked. "All I did was…"

"No, it's alright," Ken insisted, and splashed Davis forcefully.

And with the clear sky above and the sun beating down on them, it was indeed a perfect day at the beach.

* * *

The phone was ringing. 

Kari rushed to get it. TK was supposed to call her that evening, but when she answered the phone, the voice coming from the other end wasn't his.

"Hello? Kari?"

The voice was, though, all too familiar to her. "Ken…?"

"Yes," came the reply.

"What's up?" Kari questioned casually.

"I wanted to talk."

"Oh?"

"Do you think you could meet me at the beach?"

"What?" Kari paused, looking up at a clock. "When?"

"Now; or as soon as possible."

"But it's getting late!" Kari exclaimed. "It's starting to get dark out. Plus, we were already there earlier today."

"Please, Kari. I _need _to talk to you."

"Well…"

_"Please."_

"Well, alright. I'll see you there. Goodbye."

"Bye."

With that, Kari hung up the phone. She sighed heavily, a bit disappointed that she was going to have to break her rendezvous with TK, but, on the other hand, Ken needed her. That, she figured, was more important at the moment.

* * *

When she arrived, Ken- with a wistful look about him- was there, sitting in the sand, close to the shoreline. 

"Ken," she said, seating herself next to him. "What is it?"

"You have no idea how scared I was today, and what's worse is that I was scared of something that wasn't even there," Ken said to her. "What was wrong with me? I saw something dark, Kari. Very, very _dark. _Was I hallucinating?"

"Yes, I think it was an illusion in your mind," Kari answered.

"Tell me, what is the 'Dark Ocean'? You said that's what I was seeing. Well, if that's the case, then tell me what it is."

"I already told you."

"No," Ken protested. "You didn't. I know there's more that you're keeping from me. Give me the truth."

"I… I can't."

"Why can't you?" Ken asked. "It's not like it's some kind of big secret, right?"

"Just trust me on this one."

"I've never felt anything so terrible. As I looked out there today, I could've sworn that ocean was evil; it _wanted _me. But when I actually got in it, everything was fine. I have to know what the Dark Ocean is so I can understand what I was feeling and why."

"Let me just tell you that the Dark Ocean is something… well… otherworldly."

"Otherworldly? But how?"

"Ken, you would never understand; not in the state you're in."

"I wish you wouldn't hide things from me," Ken snapped.

"Sometimes it's best to leave stuff unexplained. Some things are better left unknown. If you just give it time, your memory is going to come back to you and all of this will make sense."

"Whatever," Ken mumbled.

"Please don't be this way," Kari begged him. "I'm only keeping this one thing from you to save you from even more confusion."

Ken looked up at the dark sky, muttering, _"Everyone _is hiding things from me."

"Ken…"

"This whole time, these long days; everyone has been hiding everything from me." He sighed. "I'm tired of not being able to remember," he said ruefully. "I'm tired of not understanding. I'm tired of being confused. I'm sick and tired of this, Kari."

Kari gave him a quick hug. "I'm here for you," she said, "and so are the others: Davis, TK, Yolei, Cody; we're all here for you. Never forget it."

The boy was quiet, still gazing at the sky.

"If there's one thing I've learned from my own encounters," Kari went on thoughtfully, "it's that darkness can never get to you…" She paused, smiling, "…as long as you have light."

"Thanks," Ken said.

"No problem. I'm glad we had this talk, Ken."

"Yeah. It seemed like you were the only one who could sort of understand what I was feeling. Yolei didn't get it, and I just knew the others wouldn't have either. I guess you know the darkness too."

"I do," Kari assured him, nodding.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"One last look," Ken muttered as he met his own eyes in the mirror. "I'm going to figure this out."

He made a fist, narrowed his eyes, and stared at the image. He was determined to remember. "I'm so close," he whispered. "I know I am. I can feel it."

Long minutes went by, Ken thinking all the while, but nothing came to him. Aggravated, he turned away from the mirror. "Why can't I remember?" he asked through gritted teeth. "I'm tired of this."

He, without thinking, left then, not knowing where he was going or what he was going to do.

Slowly, he strolled down the sidewalk. All the while, he mumbled things to himself: "Digimon. D-Terminal. Dark Spore. Dark Ocean. Wormmon. I don't get it."

Suddenly, he bumped into someone.

"Hey!" came an irritated voice.

Ken mumbled, "I'm sorry," and looked up, only to find TK Takaishi in front of him. Beside him was Kari Kamiya, who was holding onto his arm. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

Kari, her cheeks rosy, let go of TK, saying, "It's alright."

"Ken!" TK exclaimed. "You're just the person we were looking for!"

"I am?"

"Well, sure," TK went on. "Our brothers are planning this three-day camping trip, you see."

"Brothers?" Ken asked. "I didn't know you two had brothers."

"They're older," Kari filled him in. "My brother's name is Tai. He's a soccer player like you, Ken. As for TK's brother, his name is Matt."

TK nodded, then continued, "Anyhow, Kari and I are going along, and we're allowed to invite some others too. So, how about it? Would you like to come, Ken?"

Ken thought for a moment.

"Cody, Davis, and Yolei are coming too," Kari added.

"I don't know," Ken told them.

"It'd be good for you," TK urged. "You'd get to know all of us a little better, and maybe you'd remember something."

"Hmmm…"

"Well, think about it, Ken," Kari said, "and tell us your decision later. We'd love to have you along, so I hope you'll decide to come."

"As for us, we're going to get some lunch," TK concluded. "See ya later, Ken!"

"Bye," Ken said, waving.

Kari waved back at him, and then she and TK went on their way.

* * *

It took some thought, of course, but Ken's decision came to him by the end of the next day: He would go on the camping trip. There was nothing he wanted more than to remember himself, and perhaps this was the perfect chance. He easily got permission from his parents as they too saw the opportunity, and, after a few days, was then on his way. 

He sat in the back of a van, in the middle, squished in between Yolei and Davis, with Cody to the very left by the window. Just ahead of them were two individual seats, holding TK and Kari, and in the front, TK's brother, Matt Ishida, was at the wheel, Kari's brother Tai beside him.

They'd been driving for more than an hour, and the cramped position was tiring. Ken grunted from the discomfort and shifted in his seat.

Apparently, the trip was setting in on the others too: Cody yawned, Kari- head in hand- let out a sigh, Yolei was already half-asleep…

Davis decided to pep everyone up, especially the clueless, uncomfortable Ken. "Hey, Ken," he said with enthusiasm, "you'll love this, trust me!"

Ken glanced over at him.

"Yep," Davis went on optimistically, "we're going to the mountains, you know, to this nice, _nice _park. We're gonna hike on the trails!"

"Yeah?"

"We'll see all the sights! There's a little waterfall! And there's this one trail that goes up a hill, and when you reach the top, you're above _everything, _and you can look down at the lakes and over at the other mountains and stuff!"

Tai decided to come in then: "He's right, Ken. It's a great place; you'll have fun. Plus there's always-"

"Campfires-" -Davis interrupted- "-camp songs, and roasting marshmallows!"

"Sounds good," Ken commented. Beside him, a dozed-off Yolei slowly fell to the side, her head landing on his shoulder. Bewildered, he glanced down at her, then back up at Davis, wearing an abashed expression.

Davis's only reply was a wink.

Ken sighed. Yolei would only add to his discomfort. He stiffened his posture and shifted a little more, searching for a good position that was comfy and also suitable for his… _situation._

The girl stirred and Ken winced, fearing she'd been wakened. However, she resumed her pleasant sleep. After a while, her glasses slowly slid down the bridge of her nose, and Ken unconsciously pushed them up.

Davis, observing this gesture, chuckled to himself.

* * *

Ken eagerly hopped out of the van. He stretched for a few minutes, glad to be finished with the drive. The others were tiredly stretching too, also relieved to have reached their destination. 

The park, from what he saw before him, was indeed nice, and he could only imagine the other beauties it might hold. Along the way, he'd spent time looking at a brochure: The waterfall was especially intriguing, and there was also supposed to be a cave you could go through, which sparked an adventurous interest.

This was going to be a marvelous trip, he predicted, especially in the accompaniment of such good friends. He was actually still a tad uncomfortable around them, and lacked full trust in them, but he knew- or at least hoped- that the trip would restore the true bonds he'd had before his accident. It was definitely a brilliant opportunity to bring back his lost memories.

Recovery was in his grasp, at his fingertips- he felt it- but he just needed a longer reach…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Ha!" Davis exclaimed in triumph. "Am I good or what?" He stared proudly at the tent before him that he'd spent long minutes putting up.

"Looks a little unstable to me," Cody commented as he observed it.

"Unstable!" Davis asked in dismay. "What? This thing is perfect!"

Suddenly, the tent collapsed.

Davis's jaw dropped and he just stood there a moment, gaping in disbelief.

Cody snickered, and let out a little chuckle.

"Oh, what'd I do wrong! I worked so hard!" Davis let out a long groan. "Now I have to start all over…"

"Having a little trouble there, Davis?" Tai questioned, heading over to the tent.

"Um… Well…"

Tai, rolling his eyes, said, "Let a pro show you how it's done."

Meanwhile, Ken stood beside Yolei, watching as Tai walked Davis through the steps of putting up a tent. Yolei tapped his shoulder.

"This is gonna be a blast, huh?" she asked.

"Should be," Ken answered with a smile.

"I want see the waterfall."

"Yeah?"

She sighed dreamily. "It's going to be so beautiful!" She grabbed onto Ken's arm and went on excitedly, "Oh, I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!"

Ken didn't say anything. He just surveyed his surroundings, thinking about things. His head was cloudy; He was indeed excited about the trip, but questions never seemed to truly leave him- or if they did, it wasn't for long- and there were answers he still needed.

After everything was all set up and ready, Tai announced, "We'll take it easy on the first day." He took out a map of the park, and placed a finger on a short, thin line. "This trail here," he explained. "It's not very long; not tough either. There's some nice scenery along the way."

"Aw," Davis whined. "Why can't we just go ahead and get to the good stuff?"

"Matt and I have it all figured out," Tai said with a grin. "Today's just a warm-up. We're going to wake up early tomorrow so we can take on the uphill trail. It's supposed to be hard and lengthy, but the view should be worth it."

"And when do we get to do the _really _good stuff?"

Yolei came up to Davis, nudging him easily. "Don't be so annoying," she said. She then looked to the older boys, saying, "Forget _him-" -_she pushed Davis away gently- "-and let's go. The rest of us are ready."

* * *

The group spent the day hiking the little trail- which turned out to be a nice sight- along with other simple ones. The sky was now dark above them, and they all sat around a campfire they'd conjured. Davis was constantly stuffing roasted marshmallows in his mouth, and everyone else was chatting happily. 

Suddenly Cody brought up, "So, does anyone have any good scary stories?"

Davis, with his mouth full, mumbled something that no one could understand.

"I hope you know it's rude to talk with your mouth full," Yolei commented.

Davis gave her a dirty look, then chewed and swallowed. _"I said_,_" _he explained matter-of-factly, "I've got a story."

"Well, go ahead," Kari encouraged.

"It was a dark and stormy night…"

"Oh, you're so 'original'," Yolei said with a roll of her eyes. "All scary stories start out that way."

"Hey! I'm not making this up! Someone told it to me! …Now, where was I?" He cleared his throat. "It was a dark and stormy night, and there was this guy. He was… umm… He was…" Davis paused. "Uh… hmm… He was…" Suddenly, he threw a glare at Yolei. "Darn it, Yolei," he growled. "You made me forget it! If you wouldn't have interrupted me…!"

She laughed, as did everyone else.

"What?" Davis asked. "Quit laughing at me! I had it, I really did! But Yolei! She interrupted me and made me forget!"

Tai put a hand on Davis's shoulder. "Once again, leave the hard things to a professional."

"But-but-but," Davis protested.

Tai went on, "Save it for tomorrow night, buddy. Maybe it'll come back to you. But for now…" He paused, grinning, then went on, "I've got a tale that'll really get ya."

Everyone sat there listening intently while he told the story. It was so interesting that no one made a sound. As it progressed, Yolei inched closer to Ken, and when the story hit its frightening climax, she jumped and clung onto him, sort of trembling.

"What's the matter?" Ken asked softly.

"I… Well… It scared me, that's all," she replied.

Ken looked to her, his eyes meeting hers. There was something in those brown eyes that told him the truth behind it all. He brought a hand to her face and tilted her head upward. "Somehow, I doubt that," he whispered.

Her face reddened terribly, and she immediately let go of Ken. "I-I-I… uh…" She stumbled over her words, trying to find something to say.

Ken just chuckled at that, then hushed, "Shhh, this is the big finish."

Sure enough, Tai came up with a gripping conclusion.

Davis sat there a moment, staring and gaping. "That was… That was… _Great!" _He shot up excitedly. "Bravo!" He started clapping.

It had been marvelous indeed, deserving applause, so the others joined in the clapping.

Tai stood up. "Thank you, thank you." With that, he took a bow. "But that's all folks. Let's hit the sack."

* * *

Ken proceeded slowly. The group had come to a break in the near-constant uphill direction, thank goodness. 

They'd gotten up early that day just for this? Hiking for so long- up and up and up- and tuckering themselves out?

Going uphill had been terrible. All the while, it felt like trudging through deep, muddy water. It wouldn't have been so bad if there had been more breaks along the way like this one. The pathway was straight for a while.

…Why, then, did he still feel like he was sloshing through water?

Ken gazed at the road ahead of him. Yes, it was straight and level, but-

_A wave._

He heard it clearly as a gentle breeze carried it across the ocean.

Ken stopped walking and glanced down at his feet- his eyes widened- only to find that he was standing in water that came up to his knees.

Panic shot through him and he glanced around frantically. His friends and the path in front of him slowly vanished and were replaced by an endless sea.

Too scared to do anything, he stood there a moment staring at the ocean. There was something eerie about it, something otherworldly. The water seemed to slowly rise…

Terrified, he let out a scream.

Yolei whirled around instantly, exclaiming, "Ken!" She ran to him, stopping right in front of him. It was then that she observed him more closely:

Ken simply stood there straight and stiff, his eyes having a distant look to them. He had an unrealistic look about him as his body faded in and out, flickering like a broken television.

"Ken!" she called again.

He gave no response.

"Ken?" She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Ken!"

Ahead, everyone else had stopped. Davis rushed to join Yolei in helping Ken.

TK placed a hand on his chin and closed his eyes, thinking. _'Where have I seen this before?' _he wondered. He opened his eyes and watched Ken carefully. The odd flickering brought a painful memory back to him, and he found the answer. _'Kari!' _he thought in distress. _'The same thing happened to Kari-' -_he glanced over at the girl- _'-just before she was taken to…'_

Kari began to tremble. She had a feeling that she knew what was happening to Ken, but she refused to believe it. _'This can't happen,' _she told herself. _'No. Not here, not now.' _

Everyone else hurried to Ken's side, leaving just TK and Kari.

They looked to each other and their eyes met. TK saw a bit of fear in hers. "Kari," he said softly, "is that…?"

She nodded. "The Dark Ocean," she whispered.

"But how?" TK questioned, thinking.

"I don't know." Nervously, Kari bit her bottom lip. "We've got to help him. We can't let the darkness take him." With that, she ran to aid her friend.

TK followed.

They crowded around Ken, watching as he continued to flicker strangely. Memories of Kari's own experiences with the Dark Ocean kept her from doing anything. She quivered terribly. "Ken," she whispered to herself.

Davis and the others repeatedly called to him.

Yolei, tears forming in her eyes, shook Ken violently. "Come on!" she yelled. "Snap out of it! Wake up!" She shook him even harder. "Please, Ken!" The tears began to pour out of her eyes. "You have to wake up! You just have to!"

Ken was still so distant. In his mind, the water around him continued to rise. "Stop," he muttered softly.

Yolei heard this and perked up. "What?" she questioned. "Did you say something?"

Not another word came from him.

This angered the girl. _"Snap out of it!" _she yelled, and raised her hand…

In his own little world, Ken suddenly felt a hard smack on his face. He winced with pain. "What was that?" he wondered. The faint outline of a girl suddenly appeared in front of him. "Yolei?" he inquired. "Is that you?"

"Yes!" Yolei exclaimed excitedly. "I'm here!"

"Yolei," Ken whispered, "the water keeps rising. It _wants _me."

Yolei cocked her head, unable to understand. "What are you talking about?"

"I…" Ken started, but he suddenly stopped. He felt a tight squeeze on his hand, and a voice whispered, _'I know you can fight it!' _He glanced down at his hand, noticing another outline. The figure beside him resembled… "Kari?"

"Ken," she cooed. "Oh, Ken, I know what you're going through. And I know it's scary, but you've got to fight it. You can escape the Dark Ocean; you just have to be strong. I'm here for you. We're _all_ here for you."

Voices began chirping and ringing in his head. They drowned out the sound of the waves and the ocean breeze, and more outlines slowly started to appear. He recognized them as his friends.

"You can do this, Ken," Kari assured him.

Worriedly, he glanced down at the ocean. The voices in his head shouted his name, reassuring him.

Yolei told him confidently, "I don't know what's going on in your mind, but I do know you can overcome it. You've just gotta-"

"-Believe in yourself," Kari finished for her.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"I don't _think _so," came Davis's voice, "I _know."_

Both girls nodded in agreement.

Ken stared at the eerie water. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to force it away. For a long time, he stood there, silent. When he finally opened his eyes, his friends were no longer mere outlines, but full figures. The ocean around him faded, slowly being replaced by his formal surrounding of grass, trees, flowers, and…

"Solid ground!" he marveled, staring at his feet. He looked back up excitedly. "It's gone!" he exclaimed. "The ocean's gone!"

Yolei threw her arms around him. "Ken," she sobbed. "You're back… It was as if your body was here but your mind was somewhere else. At one point, I thought I was gonna lose you."

"I thought I was a goner myself," Ken admitted. "I think I would've been if it wasn't for all of you." He smiled, thankful to have such good friends. Now he could see that they were true, and he trusted them.

The rest of the hike went smoothly. Everyone forced themselves to endure hiking uphill, but the results of their efforts paid off. They were on top of the world, so it seemed, looking down at all there was. Lakes below shimmered and sparkled with beauty, and majestic mountains surrounding them stood out proudly.

They spent a long while there, marveling at the mesmerizing sight. They rested and picnicked there as well, then went on their way, thankful that they had made such a worthwhile trip.

* * *

TK crawled out of his tent and stood, yawning and stretching. While everyone else was exhausted from the day's hike, he still had energy inside him and was unable to sleep. He looked up at the night sky, admiring twinkling stars, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. 

He turned around, seeing Kari behind him. "What're you doing up?" he questioned.

She didn't reply, but instead her eyes fell to the ground and she fidgeted nervously.

"Kari?"

"Can't sleep," the girl muttered. "How come you're still awake?"

"Just not tired, I guess," TK replied. "Come on, let's go sit by the fire," he then suggested. So together they sat by the cozy campfire.

Kari reached out to it, warming her hands. She simply sat there, not saying a word.

"It's a beautiful night," TK spoke casually.

"Yep."

"It's really clear. You can see all the constellations and things."

"Uh-huh."

There was a brief silence.

"What's the matter?" TK wondered, observing the girl's strange behavior. "Something wrong?"

"Lots on my mind," Kari spoke softly.

"Yeah? Want to talk about it?"

Kari looked to him, frowning. "It's Ken," she whispered.

"Oh?"

"Today was so strange," Kari explained. "And scary too. He went to the Dark Ocean, TK."

"Yeah…"

"Well, sort of. I don't think he was totally there. Seemed to me like he was somewhere in between our world and the Dark Ocean. What I don't understand is how it was possible for that to happen. We saved the digital world from darkness, didn't we? So then _how_ could he just get taken away like that? And _why?"_

"They're all good questions," TK said, "but I can't give you any answers. I never was able to understand the Dark Ocean fully, so it's a mystery to me."

Kari sighed. "It's really weird. We haven't had anything like this for a few years. Why'd this happen now? What triggered it? How did it take Ken away, and how did he escape? Oh, I'm so confused!"

"Ok, ok, calm down now, Kari," TK soothed.

"You don't understand! The Dark Ocean is a scary thing. Ken and I seem to be especially susceptible to its powers. I need answers so that I can prevent this from happening again and help Ken. With the state he's in, how is he supposed to know what's going on? What happened today must've scared him to death!"

"I understand. Listen, you should try not to think about it too much and get some sleep."

"Yeah, but…"

"We'll think about it tomorrow." With that, TK stood. "I don't know about you, but I'm going back to bed. Try not to stay up too long." He started back to his tent.

"Goodnight, TK," Kari called softly.

"G'night, Kari."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The sunrise tinted the sky a beautiful mixture of orange, pink, and golden. Kari Kamiya stared up at it wistfully.

Sleep had not come easy the night before. Ken Ichijouji's situation put a lot of stress and confusion in her head, and she couldn't stop thinking.

She paced around aimlessly. She noticed a little flower, pink in color, with the morning dew hanging off its petals. She bent down, picked it up, and sniffed it… Marvelous.

Then she heard someone stirring. She turned around, seeing Ken crawl out of his tent tiredly. He yawned and stretched, then lazily walked over to the campfire and sat by it. He didn't seem to notice Kari at all.

Kari quietly walked over to him and sat beside him…

After a few seconds, he glanced over at her and exclaimed, "Whoa! Where'd you come from!"

She giggled. "I've been here to whole time, silly."

"Oh?" Ken questioned with another yawn. "My brain is too dead to really know anything right now." He closed his eyes, laying his head in his hand. "Too tired…"

"Then what are you doing up?"

"Just couldn't go back to sleep, I guess."

There was a brief silence, then Kari tapped Ken's head, saying, "Hey, is your brain alive enough to talk to me about something?"

"Dunno," Ken mumbled. "Ask away and we'll see."

"Well, I want you to tell me what exactly you saw yesterday. After it happened, you didn't really talk about it. Now that it's over and done with, I want to know the details."

Ken sighed. "I saw some scary things, Kari." He opened his eyes and turned to face the girl. "I'm sure it was this 'Dark Ocean' you've been telling me about."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It started out with just feelings and noises. Like, I felt as if I was walking through deep water, and I literally heard waves! Then it all happened so suddenly. You all vanished, and the next thing I know, I'm standing in this open, empty space. Nothing but me, surrounded by water. Then it started to come up on me, rising slowly."

Kari commented, "You must've been terrified."

"That would be an understatement," Ken told her. "You have no idea just how afraid I was! Anyway, as I was standing there, I felt a slap on my cheek. Yolei faintly appeared in front of me, and I could hear her. Then I felt you squeeze my hand and you appeared. Slowly, I heard the others' voices and they all faded in as well. Then I had to _force_ the ocean out of my head. It was hard, but with you guys by my side, I was able to do it."

"This is so strange, Ken. Things like that shouldn't be happening now. The Dark Ocean should be gone. Supposedly, we… fixed things."

"'Fixed things?'" Ken wondered.

"Long story, Ken."

Ken sighed. "I just hope that I quit having these visions of it." He paused. "No," he corrected himself, "not _'visions'._ Yesterday was real. The ocean was going to swallow me." The mere thought of it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Hmm," Kari muttered, consumed by thought. "I hope it stops too, Ken."

* * *

Yolei let out a shriek and immediately grabbed onto Ken's arm. 

The group was engulfed in the darkness of a cave, flashlights being their only source of illumination. Tai, who led the group, quickly whipped around and shined his flashlight on the girl.

"Yolei!" he called. "What is it?"

"I don't know!" she shouted back. "This thing! It flew right by me- _Whoosh!- _and it ran into me and… I have no idea what it was!"

Ken used his own flashlight to get a look at the cave's ceiling. "Just as I suspected," he muttered. He then pointed to a little figure hanging on the ceiling. "Bats."

"Bats?" Yolei questioned.

"Yep, but it's nothing to be afraid of. They're not gonna hurt you," Ken assured her.

Davis laughed. "Yolei, you should've heard yourself scream! Bats, gosh." He let out another little chuckle. "We saw scarier things in the digital w-"

"Hey!" Matt exclaimed suddenly. "We've still got a long way to go! No time to stand around and look at bats!"

"Right!" Tai agreed. "Let's go!"

The group continued forward. Yolei complained now and then about how it was "too wet", "too muddy", "too dark." It was comical, the way she would whimper and whine. They carried on through some crazy curves and narrow passages.

_"Ken," _there came a whisper.

Ken stopped walking. "Did you say something, Yolei?" he wondered.

"Nope," she answered.

He asked the others, "Did one of you call for me?"

"No," they all shot back.

"Why, Ken?" Yolei questioned.

"I…" Ken paused, moving his flashlight around the cave and scanning his surroundings. "I thought I heard something."

Yolei nudged him gently. "Maybe it was one of those bats," she joked. "Don't be spooked, Ken! 'It's nothing to be afraid of. They're not gonna hurt you.'"

"Yeah…" Ken muttered. "Must've been… a bat…"

With that, they went on their way.

* * *

The sun had dipped beyond the horizon long ago. The stars were out and the moon shone brightly above. The digidestined sat around a campfire. Matt Ishida held an acoustic guitar, playing and singing for his friends. They sang along happily. 

Kari sat next to TK, tapping her foot and clapping as she sang. She was the happiest she'd been the entire trip, as all plaguing thoughts had left her. However, as her gaze fell across the fire, she noticed that Ken hadn't joined in their song. He sat up straight, looking around cautiously. For a brief second, his body flickered.

Kari stopped her merriment abruptly. She tapped TK on the shoulder.

He turned to her, grinning, "Come on, Kari, sing!" he urged. Then he noticed the seriousness about her face. "What is it?" he inquired, lowering his voice.

The girl grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "I need to talk to you," she whispered. With that, the two walked off. They went just far enough to get a bit of privacy.

"Something weird is going on, TK," Kari informed him.

"What's going on?"

"Was I the only one who noticed Ken just now? He was so alert, like he was looking for something. Then he flickered! Just like yesterday, TK!"

"Hmm…"

"And in the cave today, I think he was hearing things! He told me that's how it started yesterday, with noises. Something's wrong, TK. I'm so scared… What if something really bad happens to Ken? The Dark Ocean, it's a horrible thing. I thought I'd never have to face it again…"

TK wrapped his arms around the girl and pulled her close. "Don't worry," he told her.

"Ken doesn't know just what he's dealing with. All he knows is that it's not of this world and he's afraid of it. And there's no way to explain it to him…"

"We'll figure this thing out, somehow," TK reassured her.

"Oh, I hope so."

"Come on, let's get back to camp," TK suggested, "so we can keep an eye on Ken. Don't you think we should be there if something happens?"

"Of course! We _have _to be there if something happens!"

"Yep."

There was a short moment of silence.

Kari looked up at TK, meeting his sapphire eyes. He was looking at her strangely, with something in his eyes that she'd never seen before. He then flashed her a smile, which sent a terrible blush to her cheeks.

She questioned with uncertainty, "Umm, TK?"

"Yeah?"

"You… You can let go now…"

A blush even greater than Kari's fell across TK's cheeks. "Oh… Uh… Right. I was just… I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to worry about anything." He gave her one final squeeze before letting her go. "I'll protect you," he added tenderly.

"Th-Thank you," Kari said shyly.

"Now… um… back to camp."

The two slowly headed back to camp, the redness refusing the leave their faces. Not a word was said. When the camp was in sight, Kari was relieved to notice a smiling Ken. He had finally joined in the singing and looked genuinely happy.

She grabbed TK's arm and ran to the campfire, dragging the boy with her. She then plopped down, and immediately resumed the happy singing that she'd had only moments ago. And all the while, she kept her arm locked around her TK's; her best friend, her protector.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The group walked along the trail peacefully, enjoying their surroundings and their day. The sun shone down on them and the simple feeling of warmth it brought upon them lightened all their hearts and spirits. They chatted happily with one another as they walked.

Ken strolled along leisurely, his hands in his pockets, staring up at the clear blue sky. For the moment, he had managed to push his troubles out of his mind. He smiled cheerily.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Yolei questioned, her own eyes wandering to the sky.

"Nothing really," Ken answered, "just kind of… admiring things."

"Yeah, it's nice here," Yolei agreed. "It's the kind of place that you never want to leave."

"Yeah…"

They walked for a moment longer, then Ken stopped suddenly. In fact, he didn't just stop. He froze in place, not moving a muscle.

Yolei raised an eyebrow in question. "Ken?"

He didn't move.

"Ken?" Yolei repeated, poking him.

"I hear water!" he blurted out.

Yolei giggled. "Of course you do, silly," she said, slapping him easily, playfully.

Ken eased his posture and looked to her, expecting further explanation.

"We're coming up on the waterfall," Yolei told him. "We've still got a while to go, but we're close enough now that you can hear it in the distance."

"So you can hear it too?"

"That's right! Everybody can hear it!"

Ken let out a sigh of relief.

"Gosh, don't be so paranoid," Yolei said with a roll of her eyes.

"I can't help it," Ken insisted.

Yolei looked over at him, noticing that, although more at ease than before, he was still a bit stiff. She grinned, saying, "Loosen up, Kenny!"

He nodded, knowing that he need not be so worried. Hearing the rush of water was normal this time; nothing to be afraid of.

The running of the waterfall had become rather loud. The girls were becoming especially excited and now lead the group, eager to reach the natural beauty.

Ken was at the end. Although everyone had assured him that the water he heard was nothing but the waterfall ahead, the sound fractured the tranquility he'd had before. It brought back memories of his brief moment in the Dark Ocean, alone and afraid.

He walked slowly, glancing about in a sort of nervous matter, making sure there was nothing around that could be dangerous. He would stop every now and then and close his eyes, attempting to imagine or see something that his friends were not attuned to. All of his senses he kept at high. If the Dark Ocean were to attack him again, he would be prepared this time, and he would fight it.

His gaze fell to the ground then, his train of thought changing to everything he had learned and been told in this period of amnesia. Everything he thought to be important, he replayed and envisioned in his head…

_"Your name is Kenneth Ichijouji," a man in a white coat- Dr. Tsunikawa- had told him._

_The faces of his parents appeared, and he recalled his mother's nervous words: "Kenny, I'm… I'm your mother. Don't you recognize me?"_

_He remembered the first time he entered his home. Unknowingly, he had toyed with a picture frame, examining the image of the boy it held. "This is your brother, Sam," his father, with sorrow in his voice, had informed him._

_In his short-lived life, Sam had been a genius. Ken followed in his brother's footsteps, becoming a genius himself. He went beyond that, though. He became a soccer star and a face that was well known to the television screen._

_…And yet, none of it was true. His skills, his intelligence… Lies._

_Then, of course, there were his friends: fun-loving Davis Motomiya, bubbly Yolei Inoue, serious but caring Cody Hida, sweet Kari Kamiya, and optimistic TK Takaishi. He had rejected them at first, but he was glad now that he had opened up and allowed them to help. They'd been good to him._

After recalling these facts, his mind then wandered to the things that remained unexplained: the Dark Spore, Digimon, the Dark Ocean… There were all such great mysteries. Somehow, in his heart, Ken knew that these things were all of great importance to his life. How, though, was something else. His friends had not explained them enough. But still…

Still, he was empty without them. These enigmas needed to be answered in order for him to be complete again. There was a dark aura around them, but it somehow made them more compelling. Somehow, he knew- he just _knew- _that in finding these answers he would find himself.

Ken continued watching his feet as he walked. His mind spun with all the memories and thoughts. He was so bogged down with thought that he didn't notice the roaring of the water growing unbelievably loud; so bogged down that he didn't notice when the ground beneath him turned from its lush green to a dull grey. He didn't even notice that his friends vanished before him.

* * *

"Would you look at that!" Davis exclaimed excitedly. 

The amazing waterfall was right in front of the digidestined now, its clear, crisp liquid flowing gracefully. The water was perfect, untainted.

"It's…" Kari started, but her voice trailed off as she stared at it.

Yolei finished for her: "…beautiful."

It certainly was, and that was something everyone could agree on.

Yolei turned around suddenly as she called, "Ken! Ken, are you seeing this!" But when she turned, Ken wasn't there. He was gone, no where in sight.

"Guys," she said, her voice shaking slightly, "where's Ken…?"

The other digidestined turned their attention away from the waterfall.

"He was with us just a second ago," Cody pointed out.

"Yeah," TK agreed. "He was right behind us."

"Hmm," Tai said thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, he never really said a word after-"

"After he started hearing water!" Kari interrupted.

The other digidestined looked to her, expecting more.

"Guys," Kari went on, "what if Ken… What if he's…" She paused, starting to tremble.

She didn't have to finish. The others caught her drift and knew what she implied. Though they could've stared at it for hours, the digidestined had to leave the waterfall behind as they hurried back the trail, calling and searching for Ken.

* * *

Ken still stared at his feet, wandering aimlessly along what he thought to be the trail that led to the waterfall. A horrible crashing sound startled him and shattered his thought. 

He looked up and glanced around. He suddenly realized that he was no longer behind his friends. They were no where to be found. He also noticed that his surroundings were dark and drab. Everything had a grey tint to it. The grass, the tress; nothing was green as it should have been. Even the sky was not its normal blue.

He surveyed his surroundings closer… He wasn't on a trail at all! There was no clear, marked path to follow!

Panic came over him. He ran through this strange, wooded area, shouting the names of his friends and looking about frantically.

Finally, the number of flora lessened, and Ken came to cliff… but what he saw before him stunned him.

There was a beach below, with a darkened ocean caressing its grey sands.

His eyes widened, "The Dark Ocean," he whispered to himself.

At that moment, the ocean picked up momentum, its waves starting to grow to immense sizes as they crashed down upon the beach.

"It can't be," Ken told himself, confused. "I was ready for it. I was prepared to fight it off."

Still, even with his preparations, the Dark Ocean had managed to suck him in. There it was before him, with an almost enticing sense about it.

As he stood there in a mixture of confusion and fear, he heard whispers. They seemed to be calling him, calling his name. The ocean _wanted_ him…

* * *

**_For those of you_ _who have been reading this since the beginning, you may have realized a little change in the chapters. No big deal; I just went back and merged a few of them together._**

**_PLEASE REVIEW. Thank ya much. :)_**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The voices whispered softly, "Ken… Ken…"

The ocean itself was talking, and yet, above the whispers was another harsh voice that was strangely familiar. It yelled and cackled maniacally.

Atop the cliff, Ken stared at the Dark Ocean, trembling, but his eyes were drawn to the water. He couldn't seem to look away. The ocean was rather wild, with waves constantly crashing down on its sands. It was then- looking out at the ocean- that a thought came to Ken's mind:

"Perhaps," he said to himself, "if I were to face my fear, the Dark Ocean could give me the answers that I've been looking for."

He considered this for a moment. He bit his bottom lip nervously, but decided he had suffered through amnesia long enough. If the Dark Ocean was the key to his recovery, then he was going to face it.

He turned around and headed back the trail for a while, and eventually walked down a hill that led him to the beach. It was strange; as soon as he set foot on the beach, the ocean calmed and the whispers stopped, as well as the evil yelling and laughter.

Everything was still. It left Ken puzzled. For a minute, he looked around, clueless. Why everything had suddenly come to a stop, he didn't know, but it was as though time itself had frozen.

Slowly and cautiously, he approached the ocean, his heart racing with every little step he took. Finally, he found himself at the edge of the water. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and waded into the water.

The water started to move a little and the whispers returned, although they were almost inaudible. Ken looked down at the drab water and beheld a strange sight: What should have been his reflection staring back at him was instead the face of a different boy. His navy blue hair was spiked and he wore purple tinted glasses, but behind those glasses one could clearly see a tormented soul and eyes that burned with anger.

Ken recognized this face as the harsh boy he'd seen in his dream. He reached his hand into the water and stirred up the image so that he could no longer see it. When he pulled out his hand, it was adorned with a familiar glove…

A giant wave was suddenly formed, seeming to have come from no where. It rolled at him with great speed, and Ken merely stood there, lacking any emotion whatsoever. He allowed the water to crash down upon him. He allowed the Dark Ocean to consume him…

* * *

"Ken!" the digidestined called. "Ken!" 

"He's got to be at the Dark Ocean," Kari said, her voice shaky.

"I agree that there's a good chance of that," Tai said, "but you never know. It's worth searching around here too."

"No it's not," Kari said gloomily. "The ocean has him, I just know it. The only thing we need to be searching for is a way to get ourselves there."

"Kari," Yolei began thoughtfully, "you've been to the Dark Ocean more than once. Don't you know how to get there?"

"I've never _known _how to get there," Kari answered. "I was just brought there. There's always been something about me and Ken- some darkness inside us- that we share, and the ocean feeds off of that… or something. I don't really know. The Dark Ocean is a thing of its own that can't be explained."

"Ok, so if the Dark Ocean has a liking for you and Ken, then that still should make you a key to getting us there," Yolei pointed out.

"I don't know," Kari replied, unsure of the situation. "None of us brought our D-3s and we don't have our digimon with us."

"So? That didn't stop Ken from getting to the ocean," Yolei argued.

"Yeah," TK agreed, "and it didn't stop the ocean from taking you that one day at school two years ago..." his voice trailed off as the memory came back to him very vividly. He forced himself to shake the thought away.

Kari's only reply was a little whimper.

"We've just got to put our heads together, that's all," Davis said optimistically. "We can come up with a way to get to the Dark Ocean."

"I don't think it's that simple, Davis," Kari told him.

"Aw, c'mon, Kari! Stop being so negative! We can do this!"

"Maybe we can," Kari said, throwing a quick glare at him and raising her voice, "but when we finally do, will we be in time! You've never been to the Dark Ocean, Davis! It's one of the most frightening things I've ever seen! For all we know, Ken could be…" She suddenly quieted, hanging her head as tears become pouring from her eyes.

TK put an arm around her and comforted softly, "It's gonna be ok, Kari. We'll find Ken, and we won't be too late. He'll be alright; everything will be alright."

Sniffling, the girl looked up at him with wide, teary eyes.

* * *

The digidestined spent the rest of the day searching the park unsuccessfully. They also tried to find a way to get to the Dark Ocean, but nothing seemed to work. Night came upon them before they knew it, and they were forced to retire to their campsite. 

While her friends slept, young Kari Kamiya was still awake. She sat in front of the fire, pondering many things.

"_Why?" _she asked herself, _"After two years, why would the Dark Ocean come back now? We saved the digital world. All our troubles should be over, but I guess even that couldn't destroy the Dark Ocean… Right. Saving one world wouldn't just get rid of another. The Dark Ocean is always going to be there. Still, that doesn't explain WHY it's striking."_

She sighed heavily then spoke to herself softly, "No matter what I do, I can't find the answers, and Ken's been in the Dark Ocean for hours. …It's hopeless. It's all hopeless. The ocean's gotten him by now, so there's no point in even trying anymore. He's gone."

Tears filled her eyes as she muttered the words, "It's over…"

She hung her head and began to sob uncontrollably; her tears only seemed to fall harder as the minutes went by. Suddenly, a terrible feeling gripped her. The world around her felt so cold, so still. Her mind emptied of all thought, she sat up stiffly, and the faint sound of waves rippled in her ears.

She simply sat there in shock for a moment, but then she grew frantic. She looked about, yet found nothing out of the norm. The oceanic noises in her head disappeared, and the warmth and feeling of nature around her returned.

The Dark Ocean's presence had left just as suddenly as it had come.


End file.
